Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Pledges to Export via Iranian-Pakistani Pipeline -- Pakistani Expert

Turkmenistan has indicated a willingness to export gas to Iran for re-sale to Pakistan, a Pakistani energy expert says.

Dr. Asim Hussain, a Pakistani government energy advisor to Islamabad, says Turkmen gas would reach Pakistan via the planned Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline. Iranian and Pakistani leaders on May 24 finalized the deal to build the IP pipeline.

Pakistan is desperate to boost its energy supplies. In April, Hussain said the country could no longer wait for the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) pipeline and called for Turkmen gas to be bought by the Iranians for re-export via IP. Construction of IP is slated to begin later in 2009 and be completed in 2014.

Turkmenistan has expressed interest in exporting 30 billion cubic meters annually through the TAP pipeline. However, it remains unclear how much gas Turkmenistan would sell to Iran for the IP venture.