India agrees to $5bn trans-Afghan pipeline
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www.quqnoos.com Thursday, 24 April 2008 16:21
Ministry announces gas deal between four neighbouring countries
INDIA has officially signed up to a $5.3 billion project to build a gas pipeline through Afghanistan, linking Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India.
A meeting held yesterday (Wednesday) by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) saw government officials from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India sign an agreement for the new 1600km pipeline, which will be completed in 2012.
The gas pipeline – ‘Afghan-Trans’ – will start from the Doulat Abad area in Turkmenistan, continue along the Herat-Kandahar highway to Quetta in Pakistan and end up in India.
The pipeline will be able to transport about 33 billion metres cubed of gas a year.
Afghanistan will take 5 million metres cubed of gas from the pipe every day during the first year of a contract that lasts for 30 years.
The country will take 14 million metres cubed in the fifth year.
The work of the project will be completed by a consortium comprised of oil companies from four countries.
Afghanistan will get $400 million in transit fees every year and thousands of people will be employed when the project starts.
The international agreement ....
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