Analysis: Oil and Gas Pipeline Watch

India, Pakistan, Iranian energy ministers to meet on "peace pipeline"

Iran's oil minister said he has sent invitations to his prospective partners in the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project, which has been stalled largely by disputes between India and Pakistan.

"They have accepted," Oil Minister Hossein Nozari" class="tpstyle">Gholam Hossein Nozari told reporters, The Economic Times reports, adding the meeting would take place in Iran later this month, with Feb. 12 and 13 being possible dates.

The so-called peace pipeline would cost $7.5 billion. Natural gas from Iran -- the world's second-largest holder of reserves -- would be sent to Pakistan and on to India by 2011, according to plans.

Pakistan and Iran have reached agreement on nearly all outstanding issues and are moving forward. Pakistan and India can't conclude a deal on a transit fee.

South Russia pipeline rupture cleanup under way

Russian authorities say a rupture in the Baku-Grozny oil pipeline near the Caspian Sea will be cleaned up within a week.

RIA Novosti reports the emergency center of the Republic of Daghestan, the North Caucus republic where the line broke, gave the Feb. 12 timeline.

"By (Monday), 120 metric tons of contaminated soil and 70 cubic meters of water emulsion and light distillate have been collected," the emergency officials said in a statement. About 733 barrels, or 100 tons, of crude leaked from the pipeline north of the Belidzhi village.

RIA Novosti reports 37 barrels leaked into a tributary of the Caspian Sea. Kazinform reports nearly 600 barrels of oil seeped into the Rubas River.

Kazinform reports workers stopped the oil from flowing into the Caspian Sea.

The extent of the damage of the oil spill isn't known.

BOTAS working on routing Egypt gas through Syria

Turkey's Petroleum Pipeline Corp., BOTAS, has begun a project to pipe natural gas from Egypt through Syria to Turkey by 2011, following on a March 2004 framework agreement signed with Egypt's EGAS companies.

BOTAS has also begun studying a new gas line directly from Iraq's northern fields to Turkey, as well as transiting Iraqi western gas via Syria.

The state-run Anatolia News Agency reports initial flow will be between 70.6 billion cubic feet and 211.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas, to be consumed by Turkey as well as the rest of Europe. Turkey and Egypt will build the pipelines on their territories. Syria will partially fund its pipelines and the other countries will assist as well.

Turkey, a major transit hub for both oil and gas, is a key player in a potential Arab pipeline, sending the Middle East's gas to European customers.

Iraq is a major holder with 112 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, largely undeveloped. Iraq intends to move forward but has been hampered by security and other institutional problems.

BOTAS announced it was studying a plan to run northern natural gas along the same pipeline route as the northern Iraq oil pipelines.

A large gas field in Western Iraq, near the Syrian border, is being courted by major companies including Shell and Total. The gas would likely be sent to Syria and onto Turkey.

RWE expected to join Nabucco officially

German energy powerhouse RWE is reportedly preparing an announcement next week in Vienna to officially join a fledgling pipeline plan to send Caspian Sea natural gas to Europe.

The Nabucco pipeline, touted as an alternative to Russian gas for Europe, has hit snags over competing Russian gas pipeline plans as well as a lack of investors and feed.

Austrian, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish firms have already signed onto Nabucco, which would send Azeri and potential Turkmenistan, Kazakh, Iraqi and Iranian gas to Europe.

RWE plans billions of dollars for upstream gas investment in the Caspian region, and the Financial Times reports the company says it's "very happy about these positive signals."

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