Ahmadinejad to visit India, multi-billion dollar gas deals to be discussed; India-Pakistan reach ‘complete consensus’ on issue of transit fees; TAPI nations agree to start construction of the pipeline in 2010
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    • India-Iran energy ties are also set to receive a boost. The Iranian President Mahmoud
    Ahmadinejad will be in India on April 29-30, after his two day visit to Sri Lanka1. The two sides are expected to hold discussions on multi-billion dollar energy deals. The visit is being seen as timely as reports indicate that India and Pakistan have resolved their differences and have reached a ‘complete consensus’ over transit fees issues in talks held between Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif in Islamabad2.

    Meanwhile, talks on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline have also progressed ahead. India participated in talks in Islamabad on April 24 for the first time as a full fledged member of the consortium. The oil ministers from the four nations signed a draft framework, agreeing to start construction of the TAPI gas pipeline in 20103.

    Iran is set to firm up its energy ties with both India and Russia. The managing director of the national Iranian oil company stated that his company had reached a memorandum of understanding with Gazprom to cooperate in the development of oil and gas fields as well as in joint investments and in conducting exploratory studies4.

    Japan’s biggest oil refiner, Nippon Oil Corp, announced that its subsidiary had found natural gas in the West Cameron 552 block off the Gulf of Mexico5. Though no estimation of the amount of reserves in the block was given, a company spokesperson stated that production at the block could start as early as at the end of 2008.

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