Energy Sector - 2

05-25-2005, 04:22 AM

Cool down Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

05-25-2005, 06:14 AM

QUOTE(Mudy @ May 25 2005, 04:22 AM)Cool down Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people shoot the messenger instead of message, thats what we see here.

But time to move on.

Naresh · 05-25-2005, 12:05 PM

Mudy Ji :

Apologies if one has dragged oneself down to the highly educated personâs levels.

One does know about Altitude and Aptitude but the other âtudesâ one is unaware of.

One is always willing to learn.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

05-25-2005, 11:22 PM

First Pipeline From Caspian Sea Opened QUOTEThe $3.2 billion U.S.-backed project also realizes several crucial goals for Washington, including reducing dependence on Middle Eastern oil and the need to use Russian pipelines to ship oil westward.

The presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Turkey were on hand for the ceremony at the Sangachal oil terminal, about 25 miles south of Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.

Beginning in Azerbaijan â a mostly Muslim country and a U.S. ally in the war on terrorism with troops inÂ Â Â Iraq â the underground pipeline passes through Georgia and Turkey, ending at the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. It avoids going through Russia, Armenia,Â Â Â Iran, Iraq and Syria on its way to the Mediterranean.

Naresh · (This post was last modified: 05-26-2005, 12:42 AM by Naresh.)

QUOTE(Mudy @ May 25 2005, 11:22 PM)First Pipeline From Caspian Sea Opened


Mudy Ji :

Thanks for the Article

This is the story of âPipe Linesâ Safety and Security as well as Politics.

The direct distance from Baku to Ceyhan is about 1,300 Kilometres but for Safety and Security Sake it has wended its way over 1,750 Kilometres so as to avoid âUnfriendly Areasâ

In addition I quote the following from the Article :

The underground pipeline passes within a few miles of Nagorno-Karabakh, and critics of the project have suggested it could be vulnerable to terrorist attacks at various points.

However, MSA & Co. want to hand over the control of Indiaâs Energy Jugular to âArch Enemyâ Pakistan.

How clever can one get?

Here is another good Article :

Pipelineistan's biggest game begins

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

06-09-2005, 11:36 PM

India sees gas from Iran via Pakistan in 2012

06-11-2005, 12:27 AM

Naresh · 06-11-2005, 01:33 AM

Viren :

It may sound improbable but I think the USA has pulled a fast one on India.

The USA wants India to be dependent on Uncle in its relations with Pakistan.

So the USA informs India that it is against an Iran-India Pipe Line.

So MSA wants to go against the USA and build the Iran-Pakistan-India Pipe Line.

When Pakistan âDisruptsâ the flow what is India going to do?

Uncle Ji â¦..

Cheers

06-11-2005, 02:01 AM

QUOTEWhen Pakistan âDisruptsâ the flow what is India going to do?
Stop water. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

Naresh · 06-11-2005, 03:36 AM

QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 11 2005, 02:01 AM)Stop water. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

Mudy Ji:

Stop the Water â Where shall India store that Water?

I had a prolonged correspondence with Ramananda Sengupta of Rediff in respect of his following Article :

Cut off the gas, we cut off the water

The end result was India had two Options :

Either build a Storage Capacity for such use or Stop the Water and Flood Indian Punjab, Haryana etc.

Thus stoppage of Water is not possible.

BTW : MSA has been shooting his mouth off stating "We have USD 140 Billion of Foreign Exchange Reserves" - presumably he means we don't need IMF or WB or ADB Financing.

India's "Real Foreign Exchange Reserves" are only USD 20 Billion after adjusting for the USD 120 Billion Foreign Exchange Debt.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

Naresh · 06-14-2005, 04:48 AM

India in $20bn LNG supply pact with Iran <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/india.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='india.gif' />

TEHRAN: The game wrapped up. After engaging in diplomatic mind-games with Tehran for months, New Delhi has finally sewed up long-term LNG supplies of 5m tonne per annum.

India and Iran today signed the final sales purchase agreement valued at $20bn for LNG supplies, the first consignment of which is expected to reach Indian shores by â09. This is one of the largest overseas commercial deals signed by India. The contract price is estimated at $3.51 per mmbtu.

The contracted gas will be primarily used by the northern and western Indian markets to fuel power plants and manufacture fertiliser. Some quantities of this gas will also be used as non-polluting fuel for motor vehicles.

The 25-year supply contract is tied up with the oil exploration interests of Indian oil companies, often referred to as oil-for-gas deal. India has been assured a 10% stake in the Yadavaran oilfield and a 100% stake in the Juffair field, in return for lifting assured gas supplies from Iran. 

India has also managed to build in a âpure supply dealâ with Iran. This means that both Iran and India be liable to pay penalties either if Iran does not ensure timely supplies or India fails to lift committed quantities of gas. The two sides have also agreed to set up a joint monitoring committee to track investment commitments.

The defaulting party will have to pay a penalty for its failure to meet deadlines. This clause is of immense importance as the supplier is under obligation to make timely deliveries of the committed quantity. The Iran LNG contract, India's second after a similar deal with Qatar, has had its share of hurdles.

For one, India has had to settle for only a 10% stake in the Yadavaran field, Iran's largest onshore gasfield. China, the operator, has a significant stake in the field. Officials say Iran declined more than a 10% stake in this field as it probably wants to accommodate another multinational company in the venture.

Right now, Iran is making an all-out effort to woo foreign investments â both from Asia and the west â to muscle up diplomatic power against US threats. India's efforts to seal the entire deal for 7.5m tonne with additional stake in the exploration business will have to wait for some time.

Iran is unwilling to commit or take long-term contracts at this point with elections due later this week. Also, the Iranians are demanding a higher price for additional quantities of LNG.

The contracted price of $3.51 per mmbtu includes a fixed component of $1.2 per mmbtu and a variable component of about .065 points linked to the Brent. The Brent price has been capped at $31 a barrel. The price of gas at the Iran border works out to around $3.21, to be delivered at $3.51 per mmbtu after taking shipping costs into account.

The signing of the pact with Iran brings to an end Indian oil minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's 10-day central Asian campaign in search of new supply sources for his energy-starved nation. It also pitches India as a significant player in the âGreat Gameâ of global oil and power.

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

06-15-2005, 03:09 AM

A non-government 
Ministers like Mani Shankar Aiyar are making the PM redundant.

14 June 2005: Does the left hand know what the right is doing? This must be asked in respect of petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyerâs grandiose plans to pipe to India Iranian gas via Pakistan, which is now threatened with US sanctions for going ahead with the $4 billion project.

The bare essentials of the controversial deal are this. Because of Iranâs clandestine weaponsâ programme, the US is ready to go to war with it anytime after certain crucial debates in the Congress (Intelligence, âUS prepared for Iran war with split Nato,â 8 June 2005). The US is willing to go so far as to split Nato for it, and bring in a Britain-led Nato as its ally in the war, a task made easier by the imminent destruction of the European Union.

Iran believes that if it is economically linked to India, India will be bound to try to bail it out with the United States, an impossible expectation for anyone who knows the US. China is alone the only country willing to go out on a limb to upgrade Iranâs C4ISR systems, something both India and Russia have refused, in return for which Iran has promised China rich oilfields.

On the other hand, it is not even clear that India is getting a good deal through piped gas from Iran, because at the point of entry, very likely Rajasthan, the cost of the piped gas would be at a price that the market cannot support. We have also previously reported that the Indian mission in Iran is dead opposed to the project, arguing in communications to the foreign office that investments are no longer safe in Iran with a regime under threat of change. 

However pressing our oil and gas needs be, do we invest in a country that is threatened with war, and with a hardline regime that is totally undependable about foreign investments? Does it make the crudest horse sense? On her visit here, the US secretary of state, Condoleeza Rice, said loud and clear in public that she was opposed to the pipeline deal, whereupon the Indian government changed track and sought nuclear power assistance from America, which was also promised.

There is nothing to suggest that the US will not export civilian nuclear technology, but it needs to be convinced of Indiaâs non-proliferation record, which is pretty strong, and we have now passed legislation backing it. Besides the US, Russia is keen to export civilian nuclear technology, and others would be too. Non-proliferation is a major concern, and India would eventually overcome it.

Remains the gap in our energy needs to plug, and Mani Aiyer is quite right to explore it, but you donât dip into the most controversial deal of all, one which the Indian market will not support, and which can collapse with the first bomb dropped on Iran. The point is not whether the US is right or wrong to wage a war against Iran, and you can debate about it till the cows come home, but it is about protecting your investments. Money does not come cheap to India that Mani Aiyer decides to throw it away.

The second issue is relations with the United States. Manmohan Singh meets George W.Bush shortly, and a host of issues will be discussed under the broad rubric of strategic relations. Does it make sense for Mani Aiyar to spoil the picture by charting an independent course in oil diplomacy, and one that threatens to bring India on the wrong side of the fence with the US? It is one thing to push a bargain with the US, and that is possible when all sides of the government are in sync, but the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline deal increasingly looks a personal fancy of Mani Aiyar, his attempt at glory hunting. But at what cost? 

India is presently engaged in perilous diplomacy with regard to getting a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. The G4 of which India is a part has set the cat among the pigeons, so to say, by circulating a draft resolution that says it will hold off its demand for veto power for fifteen years, after which it will seek it on the basis of its performance. Both China and Pakistan are hell-bent on keeping out India, and China also wants Japan out as its rival in the Asia-Pacific region and for its past imperial atrocities.

All this is well known. It is also known that the US has considerable weight in these matters. The US is absolutely clear about backing Japanâs entry into the Council, and it needs very strong reason to push Indiaâs case, because it would naturally prefer Germany so that it can be turned against France, and put the European allies on a collision course. It is a proper Mahabharata out there, and here we have Mani Aiyar going off like an unguided missile. To answer the question in the beginning, does the right hand know what the left is doing, very likely not. 

In a different context, a published intelligence yesterday (âPM angry at being ignored by ministersâ) tells of the uncontrollable state of the UPA government, in which Manmohan Singh is fighting a losing battle to take charge of policy-making. On 27 September 2004 and 31 March this year, the cabinet secretary, B.K.Chaturvedi, sent instructions on behalf of the PM to all ministers to forward copies of draft cabinet notes to the prime ministerâs office.

Officials said the PM came to know of several policy changes and decisions awaiting cabinet clearance from the newspapers, which made cabinet clearance a token formality, and his own approval a fait accompli. Chaturvedi also instructed that the PMOâs comments be awaited for fifteen days before any action was taken on the draft cabinet note. The cabinet secretary wrote too for all final cabinet notes to be previously submitted to the PMO.

Both the earlier instructions were ignored, leading to a third letter from the cabinet secretariat, signed by the secretary, coordination, P.C.Rawal, dated 12 May, which we reproduced yesterday. One sentence in the letter tells it all. âThe prime minister has observed,â it says, âthat instructions regarding forwarding a copy of the draft note to PMO at the time of inter-ministerial consultations are at times not being followed by ministries and departments.â

No explanations are required. The letter says it all. What Mani Aiyar is now embarked upon is also policy change, with or without the PMâs entire consent, with its potential to tectonically impact on our foreign relations. Even if Mani Aiyar knows the impact of the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline deal on relations with the US, does he care? Not likely, from the looks of it. What the UPA has become, a non-government, takes your breath away. 
http://www.indiareacts.com/archivedebates/....asp?recno=1162

06-15-2005, 03:28 AM

U.N. nuclear experts want access to Iran military site

http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=229329

Another Iraq.
Pattern is same.
Its time Iran gets pounded.
They just want a peg to hang.

06-16-2005, 10:06 AM

A non-government QUOTE 14 June 2005: Does the left hand know what the right is doing? This must be asked in respect of petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyerâs grandiose plans to pipe to India Iranian gas via Pakistan, which is now threatened with US sanctions for going ahead with the $4 billion project.

The bare essentials of the controversial deal are this. Because of Iranâs clandestine weaponsâ programme, the US is ready to go to war with it anytime after certain crucial debates in the Congress (Intelligence, âUS prepared for Iran war with split Nato,â 8 June 2005). The US is willing to go so far as to split Nato for it, and bring in a Britain-led Nato as its ally in the war, a task made easier by the imminent destruction of the European Union.
Ministers like Mani Shankar Aiyar are making the PM redundant.QUOTEIn a different context, a published intelligence yesterday (âPM angry at being ignored by ministersâ) tells of the uncontrollable state of the UPA government, in which Manmohan Singh is fighting a losing battle to take charge of policy-making. On 27 September 2004 and 31 March this year, the cabinet secretary, B.K.Chaturvedi, sent instructions on behalf of the PM to all ministers to forward copies of draft cabinet notes to the prime ministerâs office.

Officials said the PM came to know of several policy changes and decisions awaiting cabinet clearance from the newspapers, which made cabinet clearance a token formality, and his own approval a fait accompli. Chaturvedi also instructed that the PMOâs comments be awaited for fifteen days before any action was taken on the draft cabinet note. The cabinet secretary wrote too for all final cabinet notes to be previously submitted to the PMO.

Both the earlier instructions were ignored, leading to a third letter from the cabinet secretariat, signed by the secretary, coordination, P.C.Rawal, dated 12 May, which we reproduced yesterday. One sentence in the letter tells it all. âThe prime minister has observed,â it says, âthat instructions regarding forwarding a copy of the draft note to PMO at the time of inter-ministerial consultations are at times not being followed by ministries and departments.â

No explanations are required. The letter says it all. What Mani Aiyar is now embarked upon is also policy change, with or without the PMâs entire consent, with its potential to tectonically impact on our foreign relations. Even if Mani Aiyar knows the impact of the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline deal on relations with the US, does he care? Not likely, from the looks of it. What the UPA has become, a non-government, takes your breath away.

Naresh · 06-17-2005, 05:13 AM

âINDIA-IRAN PIPE LINE A MISTAKEâ

NEW DELHI : In its strongest comment on the proposed Indo-Iran gas pipeline yet, visiting US assistant secretary of state Stephen Rademaker, who looks after arms control in the adminstration, said going ahead with the project would be a mistake.

âWe think it would be a mistake. It would provide oil revenue to Iran that could be the basis of funding for weapons of mass destruction,ââ Mr Rademaker said.

Senior US embassy officials here were quick to qualify his remarks by adding that there was no formal position on the issue yet as the proposal for the pipeline was not yet officially on the table.

Mr Rademakerâs contention, however, gave an indication of the alarmist view that the Bush administration is taking on the proposed oil nexus between India and Iran.

US stand on the subject was conveyed by secretary of state Condoleeza Rice when she was here earlier this year.

Mr Rademaker, who held day long talks on arms control issues with Indian officials, pointed out that the US for long had actively made efforts to discourage oil development in Iran and even had legislation in place threatening sanctions against countries helping Iran in this regard.

Petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who has just returned from a trip to Pakistan and Iran pursuing the pipeline deal, however, insists that India wonât change its mind despite the opposition from the US.

He has got added support from the Left parties, who have objected to the US view on the issue. During Mr Aiyarâs Tehran visit, an agreement was signed to purchase 5m tonnes of LNG over 25 years beginning â09.

The US though, to recompense for a possible change of mind on Indiaâs part, has already initiated moves to put on the fast-track its engagement with New Delhi on the energy front.

A series of high-level meetings have been held to prepare the foundation of a broad energy cooperation between the two countries with the objective of fulfilling Indiaâs energy needs.

National Security Advisor MK Narayanan, who left for Washington to hold talks with senior Bush admintration officials including his counterpart, will also meet energy secretary Samuel Bodman.

The issue of missile defence also figured in the talks that Mr Rademaker had with Indian officials today. âRight now the two sides are in the process of educating each other,ââ he said.

Cheers

Naresh · 06-18-2005, 04:11 PM

Pipeline not to draw sanctions, hints Rice

WASHINGTON, June 17: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has indicated that the United States would not use the threat of sanctions to make India and Pakistan abandon the Iranian gas pipeline.

Asked at a Thursday afternoon briefing whether the US was going to use sanctions if India and Pakistan continued to work on the pipeline project, Ms Rice said: âWell, I think we are sharing our concerns in a constructive way with them, not in a negative way.â

The United States, she said, recognized that energy was a cause of concern to the countries in that region and âthe energy situationâ was one of the issues that Washington was âgoing to have to have continuing discussions about.â

Ms Rice also hinted at helping South Asian nations develop alternative sources of energy to meet their energy requirements. âThese are growing economies, particularly the Indian economy, which has to find energy supply. And thatâs why we have an energy dialogue with the Indians so that we can help to talk about different forms of energy supply,â she said.

In March, the Bush administration offered to help India build nuclear power plants as an alternative source of energy and since then both sides have held several rounds of talks to implement this proposal.

Ms Rice said the US fully understands that the Indians need to find energy sources to meet their needs but also has made its âconcerns known about this specific circumstance,â which includes the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran.

The restriction could seriously hurt Pakistan, which receives more than $700 million a year from the United States in economic and military assistance. Currently, Pakistan is also engaged in a dialogue with the US for buying 86 F-16 fighter jets and sanctions could jeopardize the negotiations.

Unlike Pakistan, India only receives $100 million of mostly humanitarian assistance from the United States which are exempt from sanctions.

But despite these concerns, Pakistanâs Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri is believed to have told Ms Rice when he met her in Washington last week that Islamabad did not want to abandon the gas pipeline project, as it would bring in about $600 million a year.

Pakistanâs GDP for the Year 2003-2004 was USD 96 Billion and for the Year 2004-2005 it is USD 110 Billion.

The Pipe Line will be ready in 2012 by which time Pakistanâs GDP would be around USD 285 Billion as follows on the basis of Pakistanâs Growth being limited to the present rate â even though it is expected to be even better :

2004-2005 : USD 110 Billion

2005-2006 : USD 126 Billion

2006-2007 : USD 144 Billion

2007-2008 : USD 165 Billion

2008-2009 : USD 189 Billion

2009-2010 : USD 217 Billion

2010-2011 : USD 248 Billion

2011-2012 : USD 285 Billion

Thus the Figure of USD 600 Million is too small and insignificant for Pakistan to beg the United States of America to permit the building of this Natural Gas Pipe Line!

What then is the Real Motive for Pakistan to beg for this Natural Gas Pipe Line!!

I can understand Indiaâs Motive but I cannot fathom Pakistanâs anxiety to earn USD 600 Million Annually from the Year 2012 onwards.

There must be something more sinister!!!

Pakistan is not going to âBEGâ for the paltry amount of USD 600 Million Annually!!!!

Cheers <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' />

06-21-2005, 05:54 AM

Aiyarâs pipedream
Ravi Shanker Kapoor
It is time somebody stopped Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar from sacrificing national interests and wasting taxpayersâ money. His Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project has gone too far; it should be ended with immediate effect.
http://www.indiaright.org

06-22-2005, 10:56 AM

Iran-India-Pakistan gas pipeline decision in two weeks -tehran times

06-26-2005, 11:20 PM

Modi announces major natural gas find worth USD 50 billionQUOTEAhmedabad, June 26 (PTI): In the biggest ever discovery of its kind in the country, estimated reserves of 20 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) worth USD 50 billion was found from a drilling block in Krishna Godavari basin by Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC), Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced here today.

Dedicating the project, now named 'Deen Dayal' (God and saviour of the poor) to the nation, Modi told reporters here that this natural gas find made 10 days ago was worth Rs two lakh crores after an investment of Rs 250 crores was made.

He said the money generated from this project would be put into education of children living Below the Poverty Line (BPL).

"This discovery will almost double the current gas production of the nation and the state government's priority would be to begin its commercial production and sell at the earliest," Modi said.

The GSPC discovered the gas in the KG#8 block, located six kms away from the shore of the Yanam-Kakinada coast of Andhra Pradesh after drilling upto 5061 mts at a temperature of 400 degrees farenheit, a feat that Modi said was the first ever in the country.

06-28-2005, 05:46 AM

QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 22 2005, 10:56 AM)Iran-India-Pakistan gas pipeline decision in two weeks -tehran times
Will Iran pipedream remain just a dream?

http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/jun/28pipe.htm

The next time you hear talk of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, take it with a liberal dose of salt.

According to a senior executive of National Iranian Gas Export Company, the Indian government has not yet taken the decision to join the project.

India is just evaluating the options it has and is not yet politically ready, he said.

While talking exclusively to rediff.com during his visit to New Delhi, he said, "Iran appreciates India's interests in the project but India is still indecisive."

He added: "Though India-Pakistan relations are moving positively, Iran doesn't feel that the relations are steady enough."
The proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, dubbed "pipedream" and "Iran-India pipe bomb" by critics and "inevitable in view of India's dire need for energy" by its supporters has been one of the most-written about project in recent times.

But, an Iranian executive says that the realities between India and Pakistan will keep its progress very slow.

He said, "Only the pre-feasibility report has been prepared. There is no agreement yet over the important feasibility report." 
He said that right now the negotiations are on to divide the cost of the expensive study. The progress over the cost factor is quite slow, he said.

According to the Iranian agency report, India's Reliance Industries Limited has shown interest in the gas business in partnership with gas Authority of India Limited. NIGEC, Gail, Interstate and Sui gas of Pakistan are the other consortia, which have intimated their willingness to participate.

Meanwhile, BHP of Australia is said to have conducted a `desktop` study on the on-land option from Iran to Pakistan, pending an extension to India after government-to-government discussions between India and Pakistan.

Khazar Exploration & Production Company, a subsidiary of National Iranian Oil Company, is open to the idea of collaborating with ONGC Videsh for deep sea offshore activities in the Caspian region.

Although, last week the European Union said it is not opposed to a $4 billon and more than 2500 km long pipeline project to deliver gas from Iran to India through Pakistan, America's reservations for the pipeline project are diplomatic worry for all the three participant nations.

"We do not accept the hidden and secret nuclear program of Iran...but we have no negative position on the trilateral gas project, which is still at the study level," the EU official said in Brussels.

Recently, Indian Oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar visited Pakistan and held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Amanullah Jadoon and later, briefed Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh.

The United States has strongly opposed the gas pipeline project as it feels it would boost Tehran's economy and the money will be pumped into building nuclear capacity.

US is strongly campaigning against Iran's nuclear programme.

The idea of the pipeline was conceived long back but the negotiations began only in 1994. Since January 2004, the talks between the two countries picked up momentum as relations between India and Pakistan improved like never before.

The pipeline will supply gas from the massive South Pars offshore fields in the Gulf.

During his visit to Iran this month Aiyar finalised an agreement for Iran to deliver 5 million tonnes of gas to India over 25 years, and talks are on for the supply of another 2.5 mn tonnes.

According to the report of Iranian News Agency, in a bid to tap the growing gas market in India, Iran has offered equity stake in its gigantic South Pars gas field provided New Delhi buys the gas produced from the fields.

The 3,700-square km South Pars gas field, which is an extension of the Qatar north dome gas field, is located 105 km southwest of the Asalouyeh port in the Persian Gulf.

External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh has said that India is willing to consider the gas pipeline from Iran via Pakistan if Islamabad provides international security guarantees.

Iranian agency claims that India has reservations, fearing that Pakistan could disrupt supplies in the event of any major problem in their relations. But Islamabad insists it has no objection to the multi-billion pipeline with President General Pervez Musharraf assuring that Pakistan would guarantee 100 percent security to the proposed project.

The project, if implemented, would help Pakistan earn an estimated 600 million dollars annually as transit fee in case the pipeline is built.

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