Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 8 By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
The technical-economic studies over the Iran-India gas pipeline project is completed, Alireza Kameli, managing director of the National Iranian Gas Exporting Company (NIGEC), said. The pipeline will be about 1,400 kilometers and in some areas will be laid in 3,500 meters depth undersea, Kameli said, SHANA news agency reported Aug. 8.
The Indian side alongside with some European companies has carried out studies on the project, he said. Kameli added that the studies indicate that the project is practical. An Indian firm will undertake investment in the project and its implementation, he said. Iran is waiting to see the project will be implemented with which methods by the Indian side and how much it costs, Kameli said, adding before the final talks on the issue with the Indian purchasers, the cost of the pipeline and the net profit of the gas exports to India should be calculated to study whether the project is economical justified.
Last December Kameli said that negotiations are underway to lay a $4.5 billion undersea gas pipeline from Iranian coast via Oman Sea to Gujarat, India. The pipeline is planned to carry 31.5 million standard cubic meters gas per day and will be built in two years from the date of necessary approvals and a gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA) being signed, Kameli said. Under the proposal being discussed, SAGE (New Delhi-based South Asia Gas Enterprise Pvt Ltd) will lay the 1,400-km pipeline bypassing the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Pakistan. Any company wanting to buy gas from Iran can use the pipeline for a rent.