(Khaleej Times) - Officials from India, Pakistan and Iran are scheduled to begin a two-day meeting on Thursday in New Delhi to discuss pricing and other issues related to a gas-pipeline project.
The meeting is to be the third of the tripartite working group that is discussing the proposed 7-billion-dollar project, reports Trend.
The 2,670-kilometre pipeline is to carry natural gas from Iran through Pakistan to the Indian border to meet India and Pakistans growing energy needs.
The three sides failed to reach an agreement on gas pricing at a meeting of their oil secretaries held in Islamabad in May.
Iran sought a price linked to international crude oil with a fixed escalating cost component that India said it was unwilling to pay. Irans formula worked out to about 7.2 dollars per million British thermal units (mBtu) with a 3-per-cent annual escalation.
India, which plans to import 90 million cubic metres of gas per day through the pipeline, had then said it was not willing to pay more than 4.25 dollars per mBtu for gas delivered at its border.
However, India might be willing to show some flexibility over pricing, PTI news agency reported, quoting an Indian Petroleum Ministry official.
India and Pakistan are coordinating their response to Irans offer price of gas, the official said Wednesday. In all likelihood, the two countries will present a joint proposal when the officials of the three countries meet tomorrow afternoon.