Officials from Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced on Saturday that a plan has been drawn up to export natural gas to Turkey and thereon to Europe. The anticipated exports could start before the end of 2016, said Bewar Hansi, an economic adviser for the KRG.

“The government of Iraqi Kurdistan plans to deliver natural gas to Turkey by late 2016. The region will export annually 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via Turkey. By early 2020, the supplies may be increased to 20 billion cubic meters,” Hansi has been quoted as saying by Sputnik news agency.

He added that the natural gas reserves in the region are currently estimated at about 45 billion cubic meters. Other figures released by KRG show that the region holds as much as 5.7 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

Hansi further said that the KRG plans to build a gas pipeline to Asia across Iran. Among other projects will be the construction of three new oil refineries to supply fuel to Kurdistan and throughout Iraq, he added.

According to BP, KRG oil reserves may be 45 billion barrels, a third of the entire Iraq reserves. In July, the regional authorities announced that they have begun exporting oil independently from the Iraqi government. Earlier in late November, reports emerged that the KRG and Turkey had reached a strategic agreement over the delivery of natural gas in 2017.

“Kurdish gas will reach Europe via Turkey. The Kurdish region can fill the gap created by Russia’s gas cut-off to Europe,” said Jawdat Shirko, the head of KRG Parliamentary Committee for Industry and Energy.

The bulk of future gas supplies to Turkey is expected to be provided from Sulaymaniyah region which is believed to hold 80 percent of KRG’s total gas reserves.