'Iran deal to raise prospects of importing gas from the country'

NEW DELHI: Easing of the US sanction against Iran would raise prospects of importing natural gas from the Gulf country, Gail India Chairman BC Tripathi said.

The international development has renewed the hope to revive Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project, which was on hold due to Western sanctions, government and industry officials said.

"IPI will certainly get a boost. We have to see how events unfolds in next six months," Gail India Director-Marketing Prabhat Singh told reporters on the sidelines of an industry meet organised by Asia Natural Gas for Vehicles Association.

Singh said India is a big market for natural gas and the country is pursuing several inter-country pipelines. "The TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) project is at an advance stage of implementation. Besides, Pakistan is very keen on importing LNG from India," he said.

State-run Gail, which is India's biggest gas transporter, is negotiating and implementing transnational pipelines along with the government and it has recently formed a joint venture to implement TAPI pipeline.

Gail is also interested to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Pakistan. "We expect a discussion with Pakistani delegates in forthcoming SAARC Energy Ministerial," Singh said.

ET reported on Monday that India is keen on building a 15,000-km gas grid of gas producers and consumers, which will subsume TAPI and IPI.

India also plans to revive the decade old Myanmar-Bangladesh-India pipeline project, government officials said. "There are positive talks with Myanmar during the recent visit of the External Affairs Minister. We hope to also rope in Bangladesh," one official said.