Iran prepared to export gas to Ukraine, Moldova

The Iranian ambassador to Ukraine and Moldova says the Islamic Republic holds huge gas reserves and is ready to supply the two European countries with natural gas, Press TV reported.

"Both Ukraine and Moldova are in need of natural gas. Iran enjoys vast gas reserves, and is prepared to consider future supply of gas to the two countries," Ambassador Akbar Qasemi Aliabadi said on Friday.

Ukraine is currently securing a major portion of its needed gas through imports from Russia.

Ukrainian authorities say that high prices have forced them to look for ways to reduce the country's dependence on Russian gas.

Iran, which sits on the world's second largest natural gas reserves after Russia, has been trying to enhance its gas production by increasing foreign and domestic investment, especially in its South Pars Gas Field.

The South Pars gas field, divided into 28 phases, is located in the Persian Gulf on the common border between Iran and Qatar. It is estimated that the field contains 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of condensate.

Executive Director of Petropars Projects Seyyed Hadi Mirbagheri said on August 8 that the largest phase of the gas field will start yielding natural gas by the end of September.

Mirbagheri went on to say that the offshore platform of Phase 12 will yield 500 million cubic feet of natural gas per day in September, and will transfer the extracted gas to onshore facilities.

He stated that the offshore platform of South Pars Phase 12 will reach its maximum capacity in November, when it will yield 1,000 million cubic feet of natural gas per day which will be transmitted to onshore gas treatment facilities.