By an OGJ correspondent
KARACHI, Aug. 28 -- The steering committee of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan natural gas pipeline project (TAP) is scheduled to meet Sept. 26-27 to prequalify companies for bidding on the project as well as to finalize purchase and sale agreements (PSAs).
Earlier this year the project was put on hold, while further studies were carried out, according to an ADB communiqué (OGJ Online, July 9, 2003).
Meeting details
At the upcoming meeting—which will be attended Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Chaudhry Nauraiz Shakoor, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan ministers for petroleum and minerals, ADB officials, and other senior officials—ADB is expected to release results from its study of the amount of reserves contained in Daulatabad gas field.
According to a Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources official, the meeting participants also are likely to finalize some of the vital issues related to the TAP project.
The official went on to say that among the meeting's main agenda items would be to discuss the availability of reserves from Daulatabad gas field dedicated by Turkmenistan for the supply of gas to the proposed TAP system.
During the sixth meeting of the TAP steering committee held in Ashkabad in June, Pakistan had asked ADB not to prequalify companies for the bidding unless certification of reserves was provided.
Turkmenistan has earlier dedicated 45 tcf of proven gas reserves from Daulatabad field to be used for the TAP system but now it has dedicated some of the reserves of the field to Russia. This change has created some doubts among the TAP stakeholders.
Pipeline, PSA details
The planned 1,700 km TAP system will extend from Daulatabad gas field to Gwadar via Afghanistan and transport 1.5-2 bcfd of gas. The project will be completed at a cost of about $3 billion.
Regarding company prequalifications, the official said that more than 40 different companies had expressed interest in the project while four have formally requested the construction of the TAP system.
If the study conducted by ADB confirms that Daulatabad gas field has enough reserves, then the prequalification of the interested companies would most likely be finalized during the forthcoming meeting, official maintained.
Regarding the PSAs for the gas from the proposed pipeline, the official said that Pakistan is preparing a draft of the PSAs and would later submit it to the steering committee. All the stakeholders will submit their respective PSA drafts to the steering committee.
