Tehran is in talks with German companies over exporting gas to Europe, International Affairs Director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Azizollah Ramezani, said. The senior Iranian official added that the country has signed a number of gas contracts with major international firms including German Siemens, Russian Gazprom, and South Korean Kogas, Tasnim News Agency reported.

Furthermore, according to MEHR News Agency, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) will invite tenders for the development of Iran’s LNG plant located on the west coast of Iran, at Tombak, approximately 50 km from Assaluyeh and 15 km southeast of Kangan. The project includes two LNG trains each with capacity of 5.4mt/year of LNG.

The National Iranian Gas Exports Company’s (NIGEC) Managing Director, Alireza Kameli, said that “the natural gas liquefaction plant of Iran LNG will be funded by a foreign investor and will be completed by a contractor while a third company will be in charge of recovering LNG shipments.”

The official pointed to the growing interest of Asian and European companies in the project. Russia’s Gazprom company, the world’s largest gas producer and exporter, is eager to be involved in Iranian LNG programs.

In related news, Ukraine Today reported that Ukraine is considering a proposal to transit Iran’s oil to Slovakia and the Czech Republic. According to UNIAN , the Iranian Petroleum Minister, Bijan Zanganeh, said that Ukraine has an efficient transit system. Further consultations will be held to discuss oil transit shipments.