News
Monday, June 07, 2010
Iran to okay Pak gasline deal tomorrowTEHRAN: Iran hopes to finalise a deal this week for a much-delayed pipeline to export natural gas to Pakistan by 2015, Hojjatollah Qanimifard, deputy director of investment at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said on Sunday.
The seven billion dollars Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline contract would be finalised this week, and based on the approved time framework, the export of gas to Pakistan would be launched by the end of 2015, he said. In a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday (tomorrow), the final approval would be delivered to officials in Pakistan and their letter of guarantee would be received, he said.
The project is crucial for Pakistan to avert a growing energy crisis already causing severe electricity shortages in the country of about 170 million. The pipeline will connect Iran’s giant South Fars gas field with Balochistan and Sindh. Iran has the world’s second-largest gas reserves after Russia. reuters
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk