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India wants Pakistan - Iran gas pipeline; US opposition
Iran-Pakistan, Economics, 5/2/2006

Pakistan and Iran are ready to develop the multi-billion gas pipeline bilaterally in case India stays away from the project, a Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said today.
"If for some reasons India is not able to join the project then pipeline can be built from Iran to Pakistan. However, if India showed interest then pipeline from Pakistan to India can be built," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at the weekly press briefing.
Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Hadi Nejad Hosseinian, who is here to meet Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, on Tuesday told reporters that Tehran has set July as the deadline to sign a deal for the over seven billion dollar pipeline project, failing which it would pursue bilateral exports to Pakistan.
"India was very much a part of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project and that the three countries may decide to build a parallel pipeline as the demand grows," he said.
He said the pipeline would have a capacity of 110 million standard cubic meter per day of which 30-35 mmscmd would be used for meeting the demand in eastern part of Iran.
Pakistan has indicated a requirement of 30-60 mmscmd, while India needs 90 mmscmd from the pipeline.
"The demand will ramp up over five years and initially the capacities can be divided on pro-rata basis," he said, adding that for meeting further demand, a parallel pipeline may be laid.
Earlier in the day, Deora asserted that India was serious about the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline and the US cannot pressurize New Delhi into walking out of the project.
"I don't think America is pressuring us on the issue. I think America cannot pressure us (to walk out of the project)," Deora said.
"We are very serious on this issue and it's not me but the prime minister, who made the statement that the pipeline is for peace and progress of the region," he said.

India wants WTO protection for Iran gas pipeline
Iran-India, Economics, 8/24/2005

IRNA report today that: "With India's petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar emphasizing that India would go ahead with the proposed dlrs 7-billion gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan, New Delhi is likely to seek improvements in World Trade Organization (WTO) rules related to such projects which involve freedom of transit, reports 'The Economic Times'."

The report said pipelines should be explicitly covered under Article V of GATT (General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade) which deals with freedom of transit, senior officials feel.

This could make sure that Pakistan does not disrupt flow of Iran gas to India. The government's efforts to source oil and gas from the Central Asian region would also get a boost if such projects - which involve flow of goods through several countries - are secured by WTO norms.

India's attempt to spruce up its energy security by acquiring equity in overseas oil fields would also gain from 'WTO security shield' once norms laid down under Article V of GATT are strengthened.
The WTO rule on freedom of transit was originally introduced for ensuring trade channels of land-locked countries not choked. Now, India is looking at the possibility of using the same set of norms for securing gas supply through pipelines as the European Union has already initiated a discussion on the issue.
The petroleum and commerce department are examining various aspects related to transit pipelines, report said.

Reports indicate that India would benefit greatly from such an energy source, that is badly needed in India, specifically, natural gas energy source to the Indian population, however, indication in past were of US opposition to this project

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Iran to pipe gas to oil field shared with UAE
Iran-United Arab Emirates, Economics, 7/23/2005

"By September, Iran will have transferred gas from Salman oil field in southern Hormuzgan province to Mobarak oil field, shared with the UAE, through southern Sirri Island once a project to lay 30-inch overland pipelines with a total length of 220 kilometers is completed," IRNA reported today.
The 78 percent completed project will cost $ 160 million and become operational in next week going over 74 kilometers of land.
The project, "the biggest pipeline project in Iranian territorial waters, are under implementation entirely by Iranian experts... once the pipeline project is completed, operations will start to install new platforms in the region," IRNA reported officials saying.