TAPI gas pipeline meeting to be held in Turkmenistan today
A delegation led by Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran on Petroleum Nadeem Babar departed for Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Sunday to participate in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline meeting. Groundbreaking of the TAPI gas pipeline will be held in Pakistan in October, according to sources. The Pakistani delegation is traveling to Turkmenistan to finalize the plans for the groundbreaking of the project. The TAPI gas pipeline project is expected to be completed by 2022 in Pakistan. Once completed; Pakistan is expected to receive 1.320 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas. The TAPI project, supported by the United States and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been touted by Turkmenistan since the 1990s. But the start of work was delayed because of the problem of crossing Afghanistan. The ADB is acting as the facilitator and coordinator for the project. It is proposed to lay a 56-inch diameter 1,680 KM pipeline with design capacity of 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per annum (Bcfd) from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan up to Pak-India border. The pipeline will run for hundreds of kilometers (miles) through areas of southern Afghanistan largely controlled by Taliban fighting the Western-backed government in Kabul but the movement has signaled that it will not hinder the project. Ex-Soviet Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves but has been heavily dependent on gas exports to China after Russia cut back gas imports in the past few years. The project is expected to transport 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas a year along a 1,800-kilometer route from Galkynysh, the world’s second-biggest gas field, to Fazilka near the border with Pakistan in northern India. Afghanistan, which suffers from chronic energy shortages, is expected to take five billion cubic meters of the gas itself, with the rest divided equally between Pakistan and India. In addition, Kabul will earn hundreds of millions of dollars in transit fees.
PNGRB officials to discuss Morbi issues
A team of officials from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is set to visit Gujarat this month to review various issues regarding supply of natural gas at the ceramics hub of Morbi — the country’s biggest gas consuming centre at a single location. While the demand for gas has gone up almost three-fold in the last two months following the National Green Tribunal order regarding closure of coal-based gasifiers, companies like GAIL (India) and a few others have been looking to break into the biggest customer base of Gujarat Gas. The meeting is crucial for Gujarat Gas as it sells nearly half of its total natural gas in Morbi. However the company’s exclusive marketing rights ended in September last year. The PNGRB team will visit the state on May 27 and hold a joint meeting with Gujarat Gas officials and members of Morbi Ceramics Association — the umbrella organization for all ceramics associations in Morbi, said an official of PNGRB. The official said that though Gujarat Gas’ marketing exclusivity for Morbi has ended, the oil and gas regulator is yet to pass any order regarding this. A decision on this is also likely to be made during the visit, he added. The meeting will focus on problems like shortage in gas supply and complaints regarding gas pressure. Large number of ceramic tile makers have switched over to gas following NGT’s order for closure of ceramic units running on coal-gasifiers. The move has created a spurt in the demand for natural gas. Gujarat Gas earlier supplied about 2.5 million metric standard cubic meter per day (mmscmd). However after the NGT order, the supply from the Gujarat government company has gone up to 4.5 mmscmd. Further demand of 2-2.5 mmscmd is expected in the near future, said an official of Morbi Ceramics Association. “Gujarat Gas cannot afford to lose its dominance in Morbi. While it has network exclusivity for a period of 25 years, the company’s margins would be adversely affected if some other company gains foothold in Morbi,” said an industry expert privy to the development. He said that once PNGRB passes an order regarding Gujarat Gas’ marketing exclusivity, the Morbi network will be open to other companies after fixing network tariff.
Greenpeace activists block entrance to BP HQ demanding an end of oil exploration
Greenpeace activists blocked the entrance to BP headquarters in London on Monday, demanding one of the world’s biggest energy companies ends all new oil and gas exploration or goes out of business. Greenpeace activists arrived at BP in St James’ Square at 0200 GMT and encased themselves in specially designed containers to block all the building’s main entrances. A team of activists abseiled from the top of the building and placed huge letters in the windows reading ‘CLIMATE EMERGENCY’. “BP is fuelling a climate emergency that threatens millions of lives and the future of the living world,” said Paul Morozzo, a Greenpeace activist. “The science is clear – we must stop searching for new oil and gas if we want a liveable planet. BP must clean up or clear out,” Morozzo said. BP is due to hold its annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders on Tuesday in Aberdeen, Scotland. Greenpeace said it would keep the London HQ closed for at least a week. “At their AGM tomorrow BP’s Bob Dudley has a choice – he can immediately end oil exploration and start switching to 100% renewables or wind down the company,” Morozzo said. No one from BP responded to requests for comment. BP employs 73,000 people and produces 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. BP says renewable energy sources could provide at least 15% of the world’s energy by 2040.