With the announcement that Iran will cut natural gas flows to Turkey for 10 days as of January 20, due to a technical failure, Turkey’s Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (Botaş) has stated that 40 percent of the natural gas flow to industrial plants and power plants in the country will be cut, SteelOrbis has learned.
In a letter sent to such plants, Botaş stated, “Due to the increase in natural gas consumption amid seasonal conditions and the natural gas flow cut from foreign suppliers, we face some difficulties in maintaining the supply-demand balance in our country. In order to eliminate the difficulties faced in our country, it is necessary to implement additional measures”. Accordingly, the amount of gas supply is being limited to 60 percent of the average daily consumption amount in calculations other than Level 1.
It is said that some industrialists will have to close their factories, while the effect of this situation in the steel industry will mostly hit the facilities with electric arc furnaces. It is reported that, since blast furnaces use coal, they will not be affected by the cut in natural gas flow.