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Sunday, September 25, 2011
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India gas pipeline projectSigning of Gas Sales Purchase Agreement likely on Oct 15
By Zeeshan Javaid
ISLAMABAD: The long-awaited Trans-Afghan pipeline, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (TAPI) gas pipeline project once again seemed close to finalisation after inking Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) likely on October 15.
Technical Working Group (TWG) of gas purchaser countries met in Ashgbad (Turkmenistan) to discuss gas price and gas transit fee as well as to finalise the GSPA to start the $7.6 billion gas pipeline project.
Sources in the Petroleum Ministry informed Daily Times that the petroleum managers of gas buyer countries would finalise gas prices with seller country Turkmenistan within 10 days, and hopefully the inking ceremony of GSPA will take place on October 15, where the concerned ministers of all four countries would gather to sign the agreement.
During the two-day Pak-US energy dialogue, which was recently held in Islamabad, US energy managers expressed their reservations over Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline projects. However, the US delegation led by Special Envoy for Energy Affairs Carlos Pascual welcomed the TAPI project and stressed Pakistani authorities to shift its interests from IP to the TAPI project.
Earlier, GSPA between TAPI was expected to be inked TAPI gas pipeline on April 30 in India where a ministerial level meeting of all four countries was held.
But some apprehensions on TAPI pipeline project due to the worsening law and order situation in Afghanistan was raised in the meeting and it was perceived that the project was absolutely unfeasible, as the pipeline would go through Afghanistan and terrorist threats would always be there. On April 24, 2008, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan signed a framework agreement to buy natural gas from Turkmenistan and an inter-governmental agreement on the pipeline was signed on December 11, 2010 in Ashgbad.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk