Pakistan And Russia Discuss North-South Gas Pipeline

Pakistan & Russia Began 3 Day Talks Today On North-South Gas Pipeline Project, The Cornerstone Of Economic & Defense Sectors.

Pakistan And Russia Discuss North-South Gas Pipeline

Both countries will try to finalize the prerequisites to carry out the work, of approximately 2.2 billion dollars, reflected local newspaper The News. In October 2015, Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement to build a gas pipeline from the Pakistani city of Karachi to Lahore. The initiative went through many ups and downs and is five years behind schedule, although Russia remained committed to its execution, the source said.

The North-South pipeline to bring gas from the coastal regions of Pakistan to the industrial zones in the north of the country was paralyzed by the US sanctions on Russia. A Russian technical team arrived in Islamabad, led by the special representative of the Russian Ministry of Energy for the implementation of the project, DL Kapnik.

The CEO of the Inter-State Gas Company, Saira Najeeb, will represent Pakistan at the talks.

Islamabad has proposed a 51 percent majority stake in the project and will offer the remaining 49 percent to the Russian side. Russia has unrivaled experience in laying oil and gas pipelines, whether in deep water or on land. Russia’s pipelines and compressors are also considered the best in terms of quality, the newspaper noted. The project was revised upwards by changing its route and diameter. The new route between the cities of Karachi and Lahore will be about 1,700 kilometers long, said the Business Recorder portal.

The gas supply capacity will be 2.6 billion cubic feet, which would increase to three billion cubic feet in 10 years. Indigenous natural gas contributes 38 percent of Pakistan’s total primary energy supply, which imports gas to cover the deficit, particularly when demand peaks in winter.

This news was originally published at Pleng Lish