The Telegraph India: Big strides in US shale gas deal

While the world concentrated on the public spat between India and America that eventually scuppered a new global trade agreement in Geneva last week, the two sides were engaged in a meaningful dialogue to hammer out arrangements that will allow shale gas exports from the US.

Indian officials would like to finalise a deal that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barrack Obama can sign in Washington during a visit scheduled in September.

The deal would involve an India-specific general waiver to laws which currently restrict US sales of oil and gas only to countries with which it has free trade agreements.

The issue was taken forward and the architecture for the deal was discussed at the fifth India-US Strategic Dialogue, a first cabinet level meeting between the new Indian government and the US administration.

US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker and deputy secretary of energy Daniel Poneman were engaged in talks with Indian officials on this issue.

The US has already given a special waiver to India’s state-run gas pipeline giant GAIL to buy shale gas from America.

The GAIL deal will see the company importing 3.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of gas for 20 years, starting 2017-18, from Sabine Pass LNG. MORE