Turkey says gas flows from Iran down 70pc: RESEND

Adds details on last year's suspension in final paragraph. Story was initially published on 8 Jan

Gas imports from Iran have been 70pc below contracted levels since the start of the year, Turkey's state-owned gas supplier Botas said.

In a statement issued over the weekend, Botas said the volume of gas being pumped to Turkey through the Gurbulak-Agri entry point on the Turkey-Iran border has been significantly reduced since 1 January due to "a malfunction" on the Iranian side of the network.

The Turkish authorities have urged Iran to resolve the problem as soon as possible, particularly given the more urgent need for supply during the winter months. The country has taken precautions, however, to prevent disruption, Botas said, and will withdraw gas from storage to meet demand.

Iran is Turkey's second-biggest gas supplier after Russia, shipping 9.43bn m³ in 2021, according to data from Turkish energy regulator EPDK.

Last year gas supplies to Turkey were suspended for 15 days, according to the Turkish president Recep Tayyep Erdogan. Erdogan said on 4 February that Iran's president had asked for 10-15 days to resolve the issue. "Indeed, within 15 days… it returned to normal flow," Erdogan added. However, flows remained constrained until at least mid-February, according to market participants.

By Bachar Halabi