In a recent interview with TASS, Pakistan’s newly appointed Ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, expressed the country’s support for Russia’s participation in the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project.
“Our country lacks energy resources. Pakistan would love to join the [projects of] Central Asia, Afghanistan and others. We are not against Russia’s participation in TAPI in any form, in which it could participate. We have no problems with that, and we would like to welcome everything that brings prosperity to our country and the whole region,” he said.
Regarding the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline (PSGP), Ambassador Jamali confirmed that discussions with Moscow are ongoing.
While the project has progressed to an advanced stage, the exact timelines for construction are yet to be determined.
The countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the North-South gas pipeline in 2015. Its length will be 1,100 km, and its throughput capacity will be up to 12.4 billion cubic meters per year. The gas pipeline is to link terminals for receiving liquefied natural gas in the city of Karachi in southern Pakistan with the city of Lahore in the north. Power plants running on LNG should be built there.
In the energy sector, Pakistan is keen to expand its oil imports from Russia.
Negotiations are underway to secure long-term contracts, with the initial target set at 10% of Pakistan’s total oil consumption. This figure could potentially increase to 30%.
The successful delivery of the first batch of 100,000 tons of Russian oil in June 2023 has further fueled Pakistan’s interest in pursuing long-term deals. ///nCa, 23 November 2023
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