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3.3.4 OTHER POTENTIAL SOURCES
Other potentially interesting sources of gas supply for the future have been
investigated but not included in the assessment. This is due to the fact there are
currently no facilities to export this gas to Europe and no Final Investment
Decision has been taken yet in any foreseen project, as a result they are still
considered of high uncertainty. These potential sources are Israel, Egypt, Iran
and Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ranks in the top countries with the largest gas reserves in the world.
The idea of exporting gas from Turkmenistan through a Southern corridor to Europe
is widely discussed but transmission infrastructures are still missing. A possible
opportunity is the Trans Caspian Pipeline (TCP) which would connect Turkmenistan
with Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea, an area with a particular legal status. The
White Stream Pipeline project could then transport the gas through the Black Sea to
the European border with landfall in Romania. The alternative option would be to use
the future Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) but this one is dedicated to Azeri gas
imports in this Report.
Iran
According to BP Statistical Report, Iran is the country with the largest gas reserves
in the world. Although the international sanctions linked to the development of
nuclear programme are over, current production levels and current transmission
infrastructures are considered as big limitations in order to conclude that the gas
from Iran could reach EU market in the short term. Even if Iran plans to boost its gas
sector during the next years, the additional exported volumes would probably reach
direct neighbours first. Moreover, large investments would be needed to bring
Iranian gas to Europe by pipeline but for the moment this option doesn’t look prob-
able in the near future.
Nigeria
Algeria
Saudi Arabia
Turkmenistan
Qatar
USA
Venezuela
UAE
Russia
Iran
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
bcm
Figure 3.52:
Proved natural gas reserves worldwide by Country
(Source: BP Statistical Report 2016)