Iran finalises natural gas export deal with Pakistan

Managing-Director of the National Iranian Gas Company Javad Oji announced that the country is due to export 21.5mln c/m of natural gas to Pakistan per day after the expedition of the two countries' joint gas pipeline. Pakistan has requested daily increase of gas imports from Iran to 30 million cubic meters (mcm), Oji announced here Wednesday. "According to the agreement between the two sides, Iran will start exporting 8.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Pakistan annually," he added. Pakistan has announced that the multi billion-dollar gas pipeline deal with Iran is still on, despite the US pressure. Upon completion of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline will export 21.5 million cubic meters per day (or 8.7 billion cubic meters per year) of Iranian natural gas to Pakistan. The 2700-kilometer long pipeline was to supply gas for Pakistan and India which are suffering a lack of energy sources, but India has evaded talks. Last year Iran and Pakistan declared they would finalize the agreement bilaterally if India continued to be absent in the meetings. According to the project proposal, the pipeline will begin from Iran's Assalouyeh Energy Zone in the south and stretch over 1,100 km through Iran. In Pakistan, it will pass through Baluchistan and Sindh but officials now say the route may be changed if China agrees to the project.