Pakistan eyes boosting Iranian gas imports

Islamabad has requested for increasing the volume of gas importing from Iran despite the renewed opposition from the U.S. over the multi-billion-dollar Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

Islamabad has formally requested Tehran to increase the volume of gas exports to Pakistan from the previously agreed amount of 20 million cubic meters per day (MCM/d) to 50 MCM/d, the head of the National Iranian Gas Exporting Company said on Saturday.

SHANA news agency quoted Hossein Bidarmaghz as saying that according the former contract between the two countries, it is on the agenda that Iran would export 21 mm3/pd of natural gas to Pakistan since the beginning of 2014, but in the recent trip of Pakistani energy minister to Iran, Islamabad requested for increasing the amount by 30 million cubic meters per day.

He asserted that Iran has the potential capacity to supplying the gas demand of Pakistan.
“Iran has already built 80 percent of its portion of the gas pipeline up to the Pakistani border and Pakistan aims to speed up the construction of its portion of the gas pipeline project to begin supplying gas by 2014 or even one year earlier”, the official further said.

The Pakistan’s new request is while that the United States has renewed its opposition to the multi-billion-dollar Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, warning that Islamabad’s continuous pursuit of the plan may invoke US sanctions.

The renewed opposition from the U.S. came just days after high level talks between Pakistan and Iran, where the two neighbors vowed to go ahead with the project that would bring its first gas flow by 2014.

However, a senior government official of Pakistan said that despite opposition from the U.S., Pakistan would not abandon the project, as an agreement has already been signed with Tehran, South Asian News Agency reported.