Experts, businessmen hail Iran gas line ground-breaking

Experts and businessmen have welcomed the ground-breaking of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and said the project will resolve the serious energy crisis in the country.

President Asif Ali Zardari and his Iranian counterpart Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad performed on Monday groundbreaking of the project.

The project will deliver 750 million cubic feet of gas per day to Pakistan by Jan 2015.

Analysts describe the opening of pipeline conduction work as a major step and now call for uninterrupted work to complete it on time.

Former petroleum secretary Dr Gulfaraz Ahmad said the groundbreaking as is the first big step towards gas pipelines in the region.

He told Pakistani media persons at the inauguration site at Gabd, Iran the American pressure will not work if Pakistan remains steadfast to complete the line while ignoring any pressure.

Another former petroleum secretary, Ahmad Waqar said Islamabad will have to resist pressure and to pursue the project as the country needs energy.

He told Pakistani journalists, who accompanied President Zardari for the groundbreaking ceremony, said that Pakistan must focus on implementation of the project as it is the national interests.

Businessmen have welcomed the groundbreaking of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and called for on-time implementation of the project.

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCA) hoped that it would proceed expeditiously for timely completion.

The LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar said in a statement that the Lahore Chamber had been pressing the government hard for procuring the required energy resource from whatever source suits to it to relieve the country of the mounting shortage of gas.

The LCCI, he said, was convinced that Iranian source was the most feasible, financially as well as from the point of view of proximity. He observed the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline would serve Pakistan’s national interests and go a long way in mitigating the energy issues, asserting that an early completion of this mega project of national importance would be a great favour to the business community as its very survival was at stake at the moment.

Pakistan and Iran have held nearly two decades of talks on the project, which was widely welcomed by the general public, the analysts and the media.

The two countries have now agreed to complete the project by January 2015.

Adviser on Petroleum, Dr Asim Hussain says the project on completion would contribute about five per cent to Pakistan’s gross domestic product and create 10,000 jobs during construction and about 3,000 after completion.

Pakistan will receive 750 mmcfd of gas from Iran’s South Pars field at the Pakistan-Iran border through a 56-inch 1150-km pipeline.

A 900-km pipeline from South Pars to Sheher in Iran has already been laid while the construction of a 200-km pipeline up to Gabd-zero point is in the final stages of design.

The 781-km Pakistani section of the pipeline (42 inch diameter) is to be laid close to Makran coastal highway from Gabd-zero point to Nawabshah, in Sindh province. On completion, it will help generate 4000MW of electricity.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Mar 12 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.