Iran:LNG projects on hold as pipeline plans take centre stage

摘要

THE COUNTRY is to shelve plans for liquefied natural gas(LNG),opting instead to export gas by pipeline.Akbar Torkan,director of the oil ministry's planning department,said last month:"LNG projects whose contracts have been signed will be implemented.But we prefer to expand our gas exports capacities by pipeline."But miffed by EU opposition to near-term Iranian involvement in the Nabucco pipeline project,Iran says it will pursue its own project to pipe gas to Europe."We have nothing to do with Nabucco and since the EU said...it does not need Iran's gas we have designed a new plan independent of Nabucco,"Torkan said.The tentative plan would see up to 37bn cubic metres a year of gas piped to Europe-about 20% more than its main rival projects,Nabucco and Gazprom's South Stream.