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Ankara willing to risk U.S. sanctions for cheap Iranian electricity
Iran and Turkey are broadening their energy cooperation to include electricity. According to recent statements by Turkish Minister of Energy Hilmi Guler, Ankara is determined to proceed with energy agreements signed with Tehran earlier this year. Specifically, on August 20 Turkey signed a deal with Iran to import 3.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from Tehran annually. In return, Turkey has said that it will build three natural gas transformation power plants, with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts, in Iran.He reiterated Turkey's intentions in response to a question posed by a reporter during a press conference held in Istanbul over the U.S. reaction to Turkey's energy deals with neighboring Iran. An Iranian technical delegation is to visit Ankara, arriving November 9 to lay groundwork for an upcoming visit by Iranian Electricity Minister Parviz Fattah. The two countries are expected to conclude an agreement regarding the connection of electricity lines between the two countries during that visit. This development could pave the way for building natural gas plants in both Iran and Turkey, Guler said. The electricity line connections between Iran and Turkey are planned to be finished in a year. Posted by: 3dc 2007-11-10 |
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