Iran’s NIGC Confirms Interest of France’s Total, Technip

Iran’s NIGC wrote that France-based firms are considering investments in the country, reporting on Monday comments made during the recent World Gas Conference in Paris. 

‘On the sidelines of the World Gas Conference in Paris, the chief executives of 15 French companies including Total, Technip, Schneider and Vinci Energy held direct talks with the managing director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamidreza Araqi to discuss opportunities in Iran. According to the report of the public relations of the NIGC,  he also met with France’s MEDEF which brings together French entrepreneurs’ reads a note published on the company’s website.  

In a separate communiqué released on Tuesday, NIGC said that gas injection to gas storage facilities rose by more than 41% in March, April and May. 

‘Manouchehr Taheri said that during the first month of the [Iranian] year [began on March 21], Farvardin, gas injection to storage facilities hit 49 million cubic meters, 19 million cubic meters above the planned target for this time of the year, Iran’s SHANA news agency reported.’

Meanwhile, Russia and Iran are moving closer. According to MiddleEastMonitor, Tehran and Moscow established a joint fund for Iranian oil sales on Monday. The fund will be made up with a percentage of Iranian oil sales. Iran would then buy goods and equipments from “international” companies through the fund. This would be go hand in hand with Russia’s imports of Iranian oil reported by Reuters on Sunday.  

At the same time, according to Reuters and Hurriyet, Russia and Turkey could agree over gas prices by the end of June. 

Finally, also on Tuesday, reports indicate that the European Union antitrust regulators gave Gazprom more time to response to the Statement of Objection sent on April 22. The new dealing should be in mid-September.