India to host next TAPI meeting in October

India will host the next meeting on the 1,680-km gas pipeline, planned from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan to India, in October even as it has asked Tehran to call a trilateral meeting to finalise the rival Iran-Pakistan-India gas line.

"We have expressed willingness to host the next meeting of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline in New Delhi in October," India's Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan said at the 19th World Petroleum Congress.

In April, the US and Asian Development Bank backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline from the Dauletabad gasfield in the Central Asian nation began TAPI with the formal induction of India.

"The four nations have signed initial agreements for the ($7.6 billion) pipeline, Srinivasan said. The four nations in October are likely to discuss issues like gas price, project structure and route the line would take. Certification of gas reserves of Dauletabad gas field needs to be done, he said.

Srinivasan also said New Delhi has asked Tehran to convene a trilateral meeting on IPI pipeline soon to resolve pending issues like price revision clause being sort by Iran. Indian and Pakistan have resolved all bilateral issues, including transit fee which saw New Delhi boycotting IPI pipeline talks for about a year.

India has more or less agreed to give Pakistan a transit fee of $200 million per year, which is equivalent to $0.60 per million British thermal unit for allowing passage of the pipeline through that country.