As oil ministers from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India prepare in Islamabad for meetings on the TAPI gas pipeline, an ADB executive says it will invest in what could be the entire project.

The Dawn reports Jaun M. Miranda, director general for Central and West Asia, said it would provide financing for $5 billion in the project. Initial estimates of the $3.3 billion price tag were raised to $4 billion in 2003.

TAPI would send 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas per day from Turkmenistan to and through Afghanistan and Pakistan. Indian officials are expected to be granted permanent project members at this week's meetings, which begin Wednesday.

The Islamic Republic News Agency of Iran reports Afghanistan Minister for Mines and Industries Ibrahim Adil arrived in Islamabad Monday. Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora is en route as well.

Iran wants movement on IPI pipeline

An Iranian parliamentarian is urging Pakistan to help finalize the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline as India comes back to the table.

India had disputed the transport fee Pakistan wanted to charge and stepped away from negotiations as internal Pakistani politics went sour.

But India and Pakistan are to meet on the sidelines of this week's Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline meeting in Islamabad and with an Iranian delegation after.

Mohsen Yahyavi told Pakistani Parliament Speaker Fahmida Mirza the IPI pipeline, dubbed the "peace pipeline," is a "symbol of friendship and peace." The two were at the 118th Inter-Parliamentary Union assembly in Cape Town, South Africa.

The more than 1,700 miles of pipeline would send 3.2 billion cubic feet per day of Iranian gas to Pakistan and 2.1 billion cubic feet per day to India by 2011.

Meanwhile, Juan Miranda, director general or Central and West Asia at the Asian Development Bank, said the ADB would not invest in the project.

Nabucco only with Iran, Russian ambassador says

Russia's ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, said Iranian gas is required for Nabucco to be viable. The EU, however, maintains it will get enough supply but is open to Iranian gas when Tehran settles its nuclear question.

Nabucco is an EU- and U.S.-backed pipeline to feed Europe's growing energy demand with non-Russian gas. Moscow, meanwhile, is proposing other pipelines sometimes construed as in competition with Nabucco as it diversifies routes to get gas to market while Europe diversifies suppliers.

"I know few things about political geography. The only way to fill the Nabucco pipeline is to rely on Iranian gas," Chizhov told reporters, the EU Observer reports. Tehran, with the world's second-largest gas reserves (behind Russia), is being further isolated as it defends its nuclear energy program against accusations it has a weapons goal.

"But then, it's up to the West," he said. "I would not tell the EU to make up its mind how to deal with Iran. Either bomb Iran or buy its gas."

The Nabucco line is planned for 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas throughput annually. Turkmenistan agreed last week to supply 353 billion cubic feet a year, which Chizhov said is "not enough."

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs told New Europe that it is willing to accept Iranian gas after the nuclear controversy is cleared. He said Nabucco will be filled by not only Turkmenistan gas, but from Azerbaijan, as well as Egypt and Iraq through the planned Arab Gas Pipeline.

BP, Conoco execs in Washington to rally Alaskan support for gas line

BP Alaska President Doug Suttles and ConocoPhillips Alaska Chief Executive Officer Jim Bowles were in Washington to campaign for their just announced plan to build a pipeline and deliver Northern Slope Alaskan gas to the lower 48 U.S. states.

The $30 billion project would see 4 billion cubic feet per day sent via Canada.

The two met with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before heading to Capitol Hill, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.

--

(e-mail: energy@upi.com)