KARACHI, Nov 15: Petroleum and Natural Resources Secretary Ahmad Waqar said on Tuesday that Pakistan was appointing a financial adviser to choose a viable option between Pakistan-Iran, Pakistan-Turkmenistan and Pakistan-Qatar gas pipeline projects.

He was talking to reporters at the foundation-laying ceremony of 42” diameters natural gas pipeline by Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) at Bin Qasim here on Tuesday. He said all three gas pipeline projects were of vital importance to Pakistan and the government was working on all these options.

Referring to his visit to Iran, he said the joint working group of Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline will discuss the term sheet of the project, including the refining details, at the Tehran meeting being held on Wednesday.

“This will be the fourth meeting of the group and we will discuss refining points which are included in the term sheet of a memorandum of understanding singed four months ago between Pakistan and Iran,” he added.

He said that the group had been discussing issues like quality and quantity of gas, routing of pipeline, environmental aspect, delivery point, etc. “We will hold further discussions on these points,” he added.

The secretary said President Musharraf had asked SSGC and SNGL to start pilot projects at Gwadar and Lillah near Sargodha to provide liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to the locals by the end of this year. He hoped that SSGC would meet the deadline of December 31, 2005.

Mr Waqar said more gas would be required in the next four to five years keeping in view the pace of growth in the country. The possibilities of import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and natural gas from neighbouring countries were being explored, he added.

He said 51-52 per cent of country’s energy requirements were met through natural gas. Referring to the SSGC gas pipeline, he said this would cater to the demands of Al-Twarqui Steel Mills, Textile City, power plants, etc.

Earlier, SSGC managing director Munawar Baseer Ahmad said the Rs800-million gas pipeline with the design capacity to supply 220 million cubic feet gas was the largest ever diameter gas pipeline commissioned in Pakistan. “This will also provide infrastructure support to SSGC’s integrated LNG import project due for completion in 2009.”—APP