Only one firm plans to import gas from Iraq

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Engineering and construction company Siyah Kalem remained the sole candidate in a tender to transport natural gas from Iraq as the deadline for applications to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) passed April 9.

Industry professionals said Siyah Kalem likely succeeded in becoming the sole candidate because it included the contract it signed with an Iraqi gas exporter company in its application file. “You need permission from the regional government in northern Iraq. The reason why so many firms could not apply for the import license is that they had been unable to get that permission,” a source said.

The EPDK announced March 22 that it had decided to clear the way for private firms to import natural gas from Iraq by granting a natural gas import license to select companies. The license will be valid until 2034, according to rulings from the EPDK. Currently, natural gas is imported to Turkey from Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan.

Siyah Kalem is currently constructing more than 4,000 houses and 37 facilities in five flood-hit cities of Pakistan, according to its official website.