Pakistan Moves Forward Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project

In an effort to overcome the increasing gas shortage in Pakistan, the federal government has called for Expression of Interest next month from foreign investors as well as international engineering firms to construct the mega Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.

Petroleum Secretary Ejaz Chaudhry, in the National Assembly`s Standing Committee for Petroleum and Natural Resources meeting, said construction work for laid down 750-kilometre-long pipeline in the country to import natural gas from Republic of Iran will start by the end of November.

The 42 inches diameter pipeline would be installed to connect Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab through the set route Khuzdar to Karachi with cost of $1.5 billion, while main pipeline would continue toward Multan with joint venture of major gas distributors Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited and Sui Southern Gas Co., according to Chaudhry.

Further, Chaudhry noted that accumulated demand of natural gas in the country has been observed at 6 billion cubic feet per day against the availability of gas reserve for consumption up to 4 Bcf/d across the country. The federal government has been pursuing import of natural gas through transnational pipelines as IPI project aims to import about 2120 MMcf/d natural gas to be shared by both Pakistan and India equally.

Several companies have expressed their interest to build this mega project. However a consortium of SNGPL and SSGC will construct the pipeline section in Pakistan, while National Iranian Gas Co. would build the project section in the Republic of Iran.

SOURCE: Pak Tribune