ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Iran has agreed with Pakistan to negotiate amendment in the Gas Sale Purchase Agreement (GSPA) for implementation of the IP gas pipeline project in the extended period.
“Pakistan has requested Iran for amendment in the GSPA and sent it a draft accordingly. Iran has agreed to negotiate the same alongwith some other amendments, which are awaited,” official sources in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources told the state-run news agency sharing current status of the project.
They said funds would be allocated for the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project as per procedure in the due course of time.
Answering a question, the sources said the revised timeline for completion of the project would be decided mutually in the forthcoming meetings between Pakistan and Iran.
“The details, in this regard, can be sorted out by the Experts Group, which should meet to discuss and decide on all outstanding matters,” they said.
Sharing details of the project, the sources said Inter-Governmental Framework Declaration was signed between the two countries on May 24, 2009 while GSPA had reached on June 2009.
Subsequently, Pakistan issued sovereign guarantee on May 28, 2010. Project consultant was appointed on April 11, 2011 while the design, feasibility, route survey and other formalities of the project were completed on September 8, 2012.
The 56-inch diameter pipeline will initiate from South Pars gas field Iran and end at Nawabshah covering a distance of around 1,931 kilometer with 1,150 km portion in Iran and 781 km in Pakistan.
The implementation is to be done on the basis of a segmented approach whereby each country will be responsible for construction of pipeline in the respective territory.
The 750 mmcfd gas flow in the pipeline is projected to help generate around 4,000 MW electricity also, along with creating job opportunities in backward areas of Balochistan and Sindh.
Moreover, they informed that construction work on the 700-kilomtre Gwadar-Nawabshah gas pipeline was expected to commence soon on the same route of IP gas pipeline project in collaboration with China.
Replying to a question, the sources said the present government was firmly resolved and making concerted efforts to bring the IP project to fruition, voicing high hopes that gas shortfall problem would be solved within the remaining period of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
