India to buy more LNG from Qatar: Murli Deora

Dubai, Apr 25 : India plans to buy additional gas from Qatar and double the capacity of Dahej liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to 10 million tonnes a year from the present five million tonnes, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora has said.

''India imported 80 per cent of its oil needs and spent a whopping sum of 43 billion in the last fiscal year on these imports.

India's oil requirement is expected to increase by four per cent this financial year,'' Mr Deora, who had a meeting with Qatar's Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, said.

Mr Attiyah said, while Qatar (RasGas) was already supplying five million tonnes of LNG annually to India's Petronet LNG, it had made an additional commitment for 2.5 million tonnes.

''India wants 2.5 million tonnes LNG more in future. Since the situation at RasGas is very tight due to its existing supply commitments, it is difficult to make a commitment to India for the extra 2.5 million tonnes,'' he said.

Stating that India should keep talking to RasGas, the second deputy premier said, ''We are loyal to our buyers.'' India's Petroleum Secretary, M S Srinivasan said India had earlier wanted 2.5 million tonnes of LNG annually for the Kochiterminal.

''We want to take this LNG (2.5 million tonnes) to Dahej now, as the terminal's capacity is being doubled to 10 million tonnes per annum,'' he said.

Mr Deora also had a one-to-one meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Mr Amanullah Khan Jadoon, in Doha.

A source close to Mr Jadoon informed that the country would like to see the proposed seven billion gas pipeline project from Iran to India through Pakistan.

UNI