By an OGJ correspondent
KARACHI, Dec. 17 -- Pakistan says it will require $1 billion to build underground storage for gas to be imported from Iran and Turkmenistan, according to the country's petroleum ministry and the Asian Development Bank in a joint study with Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd. (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Co. Ltd. (SSGCL).
SNGPL, SSGCL, and Inter-State Gas Systems, which is responsible for building the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) and Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipelines, would build three to four underground gas storage tanks.
Pakistan plans to import 2.2 bcfd of gas from Iran, of which Pakistani share would be 1.05 bcfd. If India does not participate, Pakistan would take the entire volumes.
From Turkmenistan, Pakistan will import 3.2 bcfd of gas, to be shared equally with India. Pakistan would also need underground storage for gas supplied to different areas of the country.
Pakistan and Iran currently are in a dispute over the gas price, an obstacle to further progress on the IPI gas pipeline project. Pakistani and Iranian officials were expected to meet soon in Tehran to resume negotiations on the price issue.
The steering committee on the TAPI gas pipeline project was scheduled to meet in New Delhi this month, but the meeting was postponed after the recent Mumbai massacre.
Turkmenistan, which has failed to provide the gas reserves certification required by both Pakistan and India, is expected to present the certification when the meeting is rescheduled.