‘Pakistan determined to finish IP pipeline’

Pakistani Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says Islamabad is determined to complete the construction of a pipeline project carrying natural gas from Iran.

According to Press TV, Abbasi said on Saturday “There is absolutely no chance to abandon the pipeline project, because we need it.”
The USD 7.5-billion project, aimed at easing Pakistan’s chronic gas and electricity shortages, has drawn threats of US sanctions.
The United States has long been threatening Pakistan with economic sanctions if Islamabad goes ahead with the gas pipeline project. But the Pakistani government has no plans to reverse the decision.
The Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline will enable the export of 21.5 million cubic meters per day of Iranian natural gas to Pakistan. The final construction phase of the pipeline, which would cost about USD 1.5 billion, was inaugurated on March 11.
Iran has already built 900 kilometers of the pipeline on its soil and is helping to build the 700-kilometer part of the pipeline on the Pakistani side.
The IP pipeline is designed to help Pakistan to overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country of over 180 million people is grappling with serious energy shortages.