31 August 2015
NEW DELHI: August 30: India's apex body guiding the country's trade and industry has made a strong pitch for the Iran-Oman-India undersea gas pipeline saying that New Delhi should fully exploit the economic opportunities arising out of lifting of Western sanctions on Iran. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India has advised the Indian government to consider channelising its energy for the development of Iran-India-Oman gas pipeline. "Lifting of Western sanctions on Iran throws open a great opportunity for India to transport natural gas from Iran to Porbandar Port in Gujarat, bypassing Pakistan," said a study by the chamber.
"Lifting of Western sanctions now holds the promise of starting an undersea pipeline project that would bring Iranian gas to India via the Arabian Sea," said the chamber Secretary-General D S Rawat, quoting from the paper on India's Trade with Iran.
"With the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline still stuck and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipelines yet to take off, the South Asia Gas Enterprises Pvt Ltd (SAGE) has proposed under sea pipeline bypassing Pakistan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to transport up to 1.1 billion standard cubic feet per day of gas from Chabahar in Iran and Ras al Jifan in Oman to Porbandar in Gujarat with a spur line to Mumbai later," the paper said.
It added that "the 1,200-1,300 km pipeline, is set to cost $4.5 billion."
"Given the kind of serious political problems, the proposed pipeline projects like TAPI and IPI, involving Pakistan, it is feared, may remain a pipe dream. All other viable alternatives to enhance India's energy security must be explored", said Rawat.
India is increasingly looking abroad for natural gas, which it does not import from Iran. India needs to resurrect Iranian oil and gas projects.
NEW DELHI: August 30: India's apex body guiding the country's trade and industry has made a strong pitch for the Iran-Oman-India undersea gas pipeline saying that New Delhi should fully exploit the economic opportunities arising out of lifting of Western sanctions on Iran. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India has advised the Indian government to consider channelising its energy for the development of Iran-India-Oman gas pipeline. "Lifting of Western sanctions on Iran throws open a great opportunity for India to transport natural gas from Iran to Porbandar Port in Gujarat, bypassing Pakistan," said a study by the chamber.
"Lifting of Western sanctions now holds the promise of starting an undersea pipeline project that would bring Iranian gas to India via the Arabian Sea," said the chamber Secretary-General D S Rawat, quoting from the paper on India's Trade with Iran.
"With the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline still stuck and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipelines yet to take off, the South Asia Gas Enterprises Pvt Ltd (SAGE) has proposed under sea pipeline bypassing Pakistan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to transport up to 1.1 billion standard cubic feet per day of gas from Chabahar in Iran and Ras al Jifan in Oman to Porbandar in Gujarat with a spur line to Mumbai later," the paper said.
It added that "the 1,200-1,300 km pipeline, is set to cost $4.5 billion."
"Given the kind of serious political problems, the proposed pipeline projects like TAPI and IPI, involving Pakistan, it is feared, may remain a pipe dream. All other viable alternatives to enhance India's energy security must be explored", said Rawat.
India is increasingly looking abroad for natural gas, which it does not import from Iran. India needs to resurrect Iranian oil and gas projects.
© Oman Daily Observer 2015
