China wants in IPI pipeline as India holds out over Pakistan dispute
A planned pipeline shipping Iranian gas to Pakistan and India may include China if New Delhi is unable to reach agreement with its two partners.
Iran, Pakistan and India were to meet to resolve outstanding issues and put final ink on paper but talks scheduled for Monday was canceled, The Economic Times reports.
India doesn't agree with Pakistan's transit fees and wants to wait until after Pakistan's upcoming parliamentary elections to resume negotiations.
The Daily Times of Pakistan reports China, in need of new energy resources as its economy expands, will import the Iranian gas due to India and Iran has not objected.
Turkey offers India oil through BTC and Israel pipelines
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, in an official visit to New Delhi, has offered India a new source of oil that would take no major construction investment and help it diversify from Persian Gulf reliance.
Babacan, in the first Turkish foreign minister visit in three decades, offered to send Kazakh, Azeri and possibly Georgia oil from Turkey's Mediterranean Sea port in Ceyhan. From there it will be super tankered to the Ashkelon-Eilat pipeline in Israel, picked up by supertanker in Eilat and taken to India.
"According to our calculations, this will give India a unique opportunity to access Central Asian oil, and will be quicker and, according to our energy experts, even cheaper," Babacan told The Times of India.
India is in search of more energy supplies as its economy booms and wants to diversify from its main sources -- Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Dubai.
EU wants more from Turkey on Nabucco
The European Union's natural gas project chief, Jozias van Aartsen, will be in Ankara Thursday to address roadblocks to moving the pipeline project forward.
It's seen as a way for Europe to receive more supplies of gas while diversifying from Russia. Nabucco would send Azerbaijan, other Caspian and possible Arab states gas through Turkey and into Europe.
Germany's RWE signed onto the project last week and Gaz de France has pledged as well.
But there are doubts on Azeri gas, as well as Arab gas development in key trouble spots -- Iran and Iraq.
"If they are seeking a relationship with the EU, it is one of the ways to make really clear they do want a future relationship," van Aartsen told the Financial Times, referring to Turkey's desire to join the EU.
Turkey opposes Gaz de France, however, likely for French opposition to EU accession, and Turkey hasn't agreed to terms for pricing as a transit country.
Medvedev issues pipeline ultimatum to Gazprom, Roneft
The first deputy prime minister of Russia and presumed next president, Dmitry Medvedev, has told Russian gas giant Gazprom, oil giant Rosneft and the Ministry of Industry and Energy to move quicker on building a gas pipeline from Sakhalin Island to Khabarovsk.
Itar-Tass reports Medvedev urged all sides to consider the importance of starting supplies flowing by 2011.
The pipeline would have total capacity of 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year, but would likely send have that. It will then be extended to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East.
Alexander Ananenkovv, deputy chief of Gazprom, blamed Rosneft for the poor technical and old condition of the existing infrastructure.
"Then I'll give a boost to you and to Rosneft too," Medvedev reportedly told Ananenkow. "If two large government-controlled companies can't reach agreement and this affects the interests of people in the Far East, will you think then please that I've already given a tough order to you."
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