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TAPI
pipeline project: Gas price, transit fees not resolved yet
Thursday April 28, 2011 10:39:41 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi: With the
issues of gas prices and transit fees still remaining, the four
ministers participating in a meeting on the
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project
Thursday announced a July 31 deadline to sign the gas sales
purchase agreement (GSPA).
"We have decided that we should sign the GSPA by July 31," India's
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister S. Jaipal Reddy said at the end
of four days of meetings on the TAPI project. The technical
working group deliberated on the first three days, followed by the
steering committee meeting Thursday.
Besides Reddy, the steering committee meeting was attended by
Afghanistan's Mines Minister of mines, W.Shahrani, Advisor to
Pakistan Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources Asim
Hussain and Tukrmenistan Oil and Gas Industry and Mineral
Resources Minister B. Nedirov.
It was announced the technical working group will finalise the
GSPA by June 30, so that it is formally signed by July 31.
"The fundamental issues that remain to be finalised is the pricing
of gas, the transit fee to be charged by Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We are reasonably confident that all the issues can be resolved
either tomorrow or in the next meeting," said Indian Petroleum
Secretary S. Sundaresan.
He said that so far 26 out of the 39 issues in the GSPA have been
resolved. The next meeting will be held in Kabul May 13-14.
"We are going to start discussions on pricing immediately. The
government of Afghanistan invited us for the next meeting sometime
in May, where further progress will be made on this. Turkmenistan
has been extremely positive on having a reasonable price, but we
have not gone into numbers yet," said Sundaresan.
Speaking to reporters, Hussain said: "We are looking at the
security concerns. We will certainly take into consideration
whatever region it is passing through and make arrangements for
the security as it is in everybody's interest."
The 1,700 kilometre TAPI pipeline is expected to be completed by
2016, at a cost of $7.6 billion. It would carry 90 million
standard cubic feet per day (mmscmd) of gas, with 14 mmscmd meant
for Afghanistan and 38 mmscmd each for India and Pakistan.
India formally became a member of TAPI project in April 2008.
Besides, the technical working group has finalised the terms of
reference of the transaction advisor, who will facilitiate the
formation of consortium to implement the project.
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