Pak-Turkmenistan gas pipeline

The News, April 9, 2005
Pak-Turkmenistan gas pipeline
Tri-nation ministerial body to discuss feasibility report
By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir

ISLAMABAD: The feasibility report of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline has been prepared and would be put before the tri-nation ministerial steering committee slated to meet here on Tuesday. Turkmenistan will produce credible international certification of its gas deposits before the committee to pave the way for laying the trans-Afghanistan gas pipeline to Pakistan.

Highly placed official sources disclosed to The News here Saturday that study has been started on the gigantic project and underground storage of imported gas in unused depleted gas wells within the country to enable Pakistan store the gas being purchased from more than one countries.

Talks with Iran for the gas pipeline will also go ahead when Iranian and Indian ministers for petroleum and natural gas would be visiting Islamabad in mid-May.

A pipeline through sea from Qatar to Pakistan will be yet another subject of active discussion when a high-level delegation headed by Secretary Petroleum and Natural Resources Ahmad Viqar Chaudhry will be visiting Doha for two days on 24th of this month. With this Pakistan has accelerated the pace of efforts to finalise deals for fulfilling its future needs of energy which are supposed to increase manifold in the years to come in the face of increasing development activities.

The delegation will also discuss the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas in Doha that can be used for future requirements of Karachi and coastal areas of the country. Pakistan is also planning to take up the issue of LNG supply with Iran.

Sources said the ministerial steering committee of Pakistan-Afghanistan and Turkmenistan is meeting for the eighth time. It would discuss a number of important aspects of the pipeline. The gas certification will be on the top while the route security from Afghanistan to Pakistan would be another vitally important issue to come up for discussion as the comfort level regarding security of the pipeline could attract any international consortium/investor to come forward and make heavy investment in the project involving billion of dollars. The gas pipeline will start from Daulatabad gas field in Turkmenistan and pass through Herat and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan before entering Chaman in Balochistan.