energy diplomacy; The key to control the imbalance of gas with imports from Turkmenistan

As the cold season is approaching, the President's visit to Turkmenistan is a vital opportunity to supply gas to the north and northeast of the country and to curb discontent.

According to the Mehr reporter, as the cold season approaches, the alarm of gas imbalance has sounded once again. But this time, different from previous years, it reaches the ears of the home sector as well. In a situation where the country is facing a severe gas deficit and damage to the capacity of the South Pars refinery, the president's visit to Turkmenistan can pave the way for importing gas from the closest and most operational partner in the region.

In recent months, the country's energy network has entered its most sensitive historical period. The severe gas deficit, which has intensified due to the damage to the capacity of the South Pars refinery and the accumulated disagreements of the past years, is a direct threat to the heating of houses in the northern and northeastern provinces of the country. The great distance of these northern and northeastern regions of the country from the gas fields of the south, due to the instability of the network, they are at the highest risk of gas interruption.

As the fourth owner of gas reserves in the world, Turkmenistan has the largest infrastructure capacity for gas export to Iran. The history of three decades of gas trade relations between the two countries and the memorandum signed between the national leader of Turkmenistan and the president of Iran in 1403 to increase the capacity of gas trade show that the path of cooperation has already been paved.

The successful experience of the tripartite agreement between Iran, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which came into effect at the beginning of 1402, showed that the gas swap can meet both domestic needs and generate transit income for the country without the need for heavy investment in new pipelines. In the swap model, Turkmenistan's gas is delivered in the northeast of Iran, and Iran delivers its equivalent at other border points. This mechanism both minimizes currency exchange and increases network flexibility in meeting seasonal needs.

Contrary to the popular belief that Turkmenistan is a cautious partner in gas negotiations, field evidence shows that Ashgabat not only welcomes cooperation with Iran, but has also shown its readiness in sensitive situations. A clear example of this issue was the start of Turkmenistan's electricity export to Iran in the middle of the war and the country's energy emergency in the summer; This action, along with other measures of transit of basic goods, showed that Turkmenistan can and wants to play an active role in providing Iran's social security and energy.

This background shows that the main problem was not on the Turkmen side, but on the side of Iran in designing cooperation mechanisms. Now, with the active diplomacy of the 14th government, the ground has been prepared to turn this preparation into operational agreements. According to the announcement of Abdul Jalal Iri, representative of Golestan province and member of the construction commission of the parliament, the daily import capacity of about 25 to 27 million cubic meters of gas from this country is available.

However, they point out challenges such as the necessity of determining a bilateral financial mechanism. The experience of the past years has shown that even the signed agreements did not lead to an operational contract without removing these obstacles and should be resolved in high-level negotiations.

The visit of the president to Turkmenistan and meeting with the national leader of this country is a high-level diplomatic action; But turning it into a strategic achievement requires direct consultation and serious follow-up to activate the 1403 Memorandum. The success of this trip depends on the finalization of the gas import contract and the determination of a bilateral financial and banking mechanism so that part of the gas deficit in the north and northeast of the country can be compensated before the cold season.

Importing gas from Turkmenistan, in addition to solving the problem during peak periods, helps in energy security, resilience of the network, and energy justice for the people of the Northeast. In the situation where the alarm of disharmony has reached the household sector, sustainable energy supply is a national necessity, not a strategic choice.