Iran gas flow to Turkey cut by technical failure: Officials

Iran has cut gas flows to Turkey for up to 10 days due to a technical failure, prompting Turkish authorities to order gas-fueled power plants to reduce gas use by 40 percent, sector officials announced on Thursday.

Turkish natural gas distributors were also asked to reduce supply to 60 percent for large consumers except for that used for heating, the Turkish sector officials said, adding that schools and hospitals will be exempt.

Iran notified Turkey of a 10-day cut to natural gas flows, but talks are ongoing to start flows earlier, the officials added.

Turkey is almost fully dependent on imported gas from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran. Iran alone provided 16 percent of Turkey’s natural gas needs in the first ten months of 2021, according to the latest official data.

Energy prices have risen sharply in Turkey, driven by global increases and a 44 percent decline in the lira against the dollar last year.

Electricity prices were raised as much as 125 percent for high-demand commercial users this month and by around 50 percent for lower-demand households.

Natural gas prices jumped 25 percent for residential use and 50 percent for industrial use in January, national distributor BOTAS revealed. The price rise was 15 percent for power generators.