UPDATE 2-Turkish gas to Greece below contract level-source
(Adds Iran import details)
By Orhan Coskun
ANKARA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Turkey's natural gas exports to Greece were below the contract level on Wednesday and pressure on the pipeline was low, an Energy Ministry source told Reuters.
Russian gas supplies coming over Ukraine to Turkey were cut on Tuesday, leaving Ankara with a shortfall in gas supplies, but Turkey's Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said the cut in Russian supplies had not affected Ankara's exports to Greece.
Ankara did however reject a request from Athens for additional gas.
A source from the Energy Ministry said Ankara would begin boosting its gas imports from Iran next week if supplies did not start flowing again.
"If it is necessary we can increase the daily 15 million cubic metres of gas we recieve from Iran by another 10-13 million cubic metres," the source said.
Russian gas supplies via Ukraine stopped to a series of countries from Turkey to France on Tuesday as sub-zero temperatures increased demand for winter fuel and a row over gas prices intensified between Kiev and Moscow.
An Energy Ministry source told Reuters on Tuesday that Turkey did not expect a problem with gas supplies for one week, and Guler said supplies of Russian gas delivered via a second pipeline would rise.
Guler said Turkey was also looking at other options including increasing the import of liquefied natural gas as well gas from Iran. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun; editing by James Jukwey)
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