By an OGJ correspondent
KARACHI, Feb. 22 -- Turkmenistan has agreed to supply 3.2 bcfd of natural gas to Pakistan over 30 years via the proposed $3.3 billion Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) pipeline (OGJ Online, Apr. 18, 2005).
Turkmenistan's Minister for Oil and Gas Gurbanmurat Atayev, Pakistan's Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Amanullah Khan Jadoon, and Afghanistan's Minister for Mines and Industries Mir Mohammad Siddique signed the gas supply memorandum of understanding Feb. 15 following a 2-day steering committee meeting in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The Asian Development Bank presented a feasibility report.
India, which attended as an observer and earlier had been invited to join the project, expressed its willingness to participate in TAP (OGJ Online, Mar. 28, 2003).
The ministers agreed to implement the project as early as possible and plan to meet again in April following a meeting of technical experts.
Pakistani shortfall
Pakistan will face a gas shortfall in 4 years and is working to import LNG and pipeline gas from Turkmenistan, Iran, and Qatar to meet energy demand linked to unprecedented economic growth.
Pakistan last October hired an adviser to assess LNG imports.
"We are moving very fast in this regard," said Jadoon. He said the countries are not prepared to remain in the discussion phase much longer on these projects.
Following the TAP meeting, Jadoon and other Pakistani officials visited India to discuss the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline (OGJ Online, Jan. 6, 2005).