India invited to join 5 billion dlr TAP gas pipeline project

Islamabad, Mar 15 (UNI) Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan have formally offered to India to become a partner in the 5 billion dollar TAP gas pipeline project and convey its decision on the proposal latest by May 15, media report today said.

The request to ''join or give up the TAP-pipeline'' was made to India at a meeting of the steering committee held in Ashgabad last month, the Dawn reported, quoting informed sources.

The Asian Development Bank and delegations of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan participated in the talks while India attended it as observer.

The TAP project might supersede plans of Iranian and Qatari gas import to India and Pakistan because of political and financial reasons.

The TAP project would cost 5 billion dollars compared with 7 billion dollars of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) project and 8 billion dollars of Qatar-Pakistan-India project. The TAP project enjoys support from the United States, which is opposed to the Iran-Pakistan-India plan.

The steering committee asked India to convey to them in three months whether or not it wanted to be a partner in the TAP project to enable the three countries and ADB to amend the framework agreement and get the project moving, the report said.

A clear response from India is a must before launching the detailed feasibility study and engineering design of the TAP project by June, it added.

The ADB has already proposed various structures of the pipeline for attracting investors, contractors and financial institutions.

The sources said Turkmenistan informed the meeting that an independent firm ''De Golyer&McNaughton'' had confirmed reserves of over 2.3 trillion cubic meters (TCM) of gas at Daulatabad field.

Additional reserves of about 1.2 TCM are expected after drilling of the adjacent area.

The gas production capacity of the field could be increased to about 125 MMCMD (million cubic metre per day) from the current 80 MMCMD.

Turkmenistan has committed to provide sovereign guarantees for long-term uninterrupted supplies to India and Pakistan.

UNI XC VJ BS1415