ANKARA, Jan 9: Turkey has halted the flow of Azeri gas to Greece due to a suspension of gas supplies from Iran to Turkey, a senior Turkish Energy Ministry official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Iran, one of Ankara’s main suppliers, stopped pumping to Turkey on Monday, Turkish officials have said. Tehran blamed the disruption on cold weather and a cut in Turkmen gas supplies.

The senior Turkish Energy Ministry official said on Wednesday daily gas consumption in Turkey had fallen to 124 million cubic metres (mcm) from 142 million as a result of measures prompted by the halt in Iranian gas flows.

“As of yesterday, those gas-fired electricity producers who could do so have switched to alternative fuel, while others have implemented certain cuts. In this context there is no problem in electricity production,” the official said.

He said agreement had been reached with Greece to make up for the cut in their supplies in coming days.

George Stergiou, head of Greece’s natural gas grid management company (DESFA), told Reuters gas from Turkey stopped on Jan 5.

“We are not facing any shortage because we continue to get natural gas from Russia and also have liquified natural gas coming from storage facilities in Revithousa,” he said.

The pipeline between Turkey and Greece was inaugurated last November in a fresh step to boost ties between the former foes.

It will eventually carry some 12 bcm of gas a year -- 3 bcm of which will be for Greece - from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field.

The Turkish official said there was no change in the 13.5 mcm of gas coming through the Azeri pipeline, but that this was for now being used exclusively in Turkey.

The first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to make up for the shortfall was to arrive at a Turkish port on Jan. 14 and talks were continuing on further LNG purchases, he said.

Russia, Turkey’s other main energy provider, is unable to allocate additional supplies, according to previous comments from an energy ministry official.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters deliveries to Turkey had not been completely cut and that the head of the national gas company, Reza Kasaizadeh, had promised they would be gradually increased. He did not specify when.

He said he believed Turkmenistan wanted to increase prices for its gas and that this was a factor in its move to cut deliveries to Iran some 10 days ago.

—Reuters