• Home
• /
• Business

Pricing, project structure grapple gas pipeline plan

Discussions on the execution of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline will take place on Thursday when Pakistan's petroleum minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon visit New Delhi. India's Petroleum Minister Murli Deora would meet Jadoon on evolving a project structure for building and operation of the pipeline before a trilateral meeting between the three sides is held towards March-end or early April.

"The issue is whether the pipeline should be built as a consortia (by the three countries) or by each one doing the bit in their own country Pakistan and India have shared the idea of a consortium doing the pipeline. We will discuss it further and go to Cabinet if the general consensus was for that, petroleum secretary, MS Srinivasan told reporters.

The Cabinet has last year authorised Petroleum ministry to hold separate bilateral talks with Pakistan and Iran for buying gas at its border. Also to be discussed during the visit would be diesel exports by Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) to Pakistan, Srinivasan said. “We consider Jadoon's visit as an important one because both sides are eager to see the project through, he said.

Talmiz Ahmad, additional secretary (International Cooperation), ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said India was concerned about security of supplies and therefore the project structure would be built in such away to make it legally binding on each one to ensure uninterrupted supply of gas.