BOJNOURD, North Khorassan Province - The second section of the second Iran-Turkmenistan gas transport pipeline officially came on stream on Sunday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attended the opening ceremony.
“The second phase of the second Iran-Turkmenistan pipeline is a 500-kilometer long pipeline with a diameter of 48 inches. This pipeline has the capacity to transport 58 million cubic meters of gas per day,” Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister Javad Owji explained.
The first phase of the 1024km pipeline came on stream in January 2010 to deliver gas from the Turkmenistan's Dovletabad field to Iran's Khangiran refinery.
The new pipeline will eventually more than double Turkmenistan's annual gas exports to Iran to 20 billion cubic meters.
Owji also noted that $1.2 billion has been invested in the project.
Owji said that the second nationwide north and northeastern gas transport pipeline and the second section of the second Iran-Turkmenistan gas transport pipeline connects Iran’s gas network to six neighboring countries -- Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan -- as well as Persian Gulf littoral states.
“Iran will soon become the regional gas hub,” he stated.
Owji, who is also the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company, stated that Iran is now ready to transit and swap gas with Turkmenistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and other neighboring countries.
He went on to note that the Islamic Republic has recently obtained permits from Iraq and Turkey for the transport of gas.
He said that the transit and transport of gas via Iran is economically feasible for all consumers and producers