TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iranian contractors started conducting preliminary studies on the construction of a pipeline for transferring Iran's gas to neighboring Oman.

The studies on the pipeline project, which is aimed at exporting natural gas from the Islamic Republic to the Arabian Peninsula country, have been divided in two parts, namely offshore and onshore studies.

The Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC) has been tasked with conducting studies on the offshore section of the pipeline.

Its contract has been signed by the managing directors of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) and IOEC from Iran and Saif Bin Hamad Al Salmani, Director General of Planning and Projects Evaluation of the Omani Ministry of Oil and Gas.

The studies on the onshore section of the pipeline have been undertaken by Pars Consulting Engineers Co., according to a contract signed between the NIGEC and the company.

According to a previously signed agreement to finalize the construction of the pipeline, Iran will export 28 million cubic meters of gas per day to Oman for 15 years. Based on the current gas price, the deal is worth $60 billion.

Earlier in June, Rahim Tabrizi, a senior official with the IOEC, had announced that the company plans to construct a pipeline for exporting gas from Iran to Oman.

�The construction of the gas export pipeline from Iran to Oman will be carried out by the IOEC,� Tabrizi said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency at the time.

Iran�s total gas exports to foreign countries reached over 9.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2014, according to the 64th Edition of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy.

In its statistical review the BP classed Iran as the world�s top gas reserves holder with 33.8 trillion cubic meters.

By Tasnim News Agency