NEW DELHI, April 26 (UPI) -- A natural gas sale and purchase agreement for the planned Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline won't be ready until July, an official said.
A technical working group on the TAPI pipeline is meeting in New Delhi to discuss plans for the Western-backed project.
A source close to the talks told the Press Trust of India that a GSPA wasn't likely during the meetings, however.
"GSPA was originally to be concluded by April end but it looks unlikely," the source said. "The deadline is likely to be extended till July 31."
The planned pipeline is to deliver gas from the Dauletabad gas field in Turkmenistan to the other countries involved in the project. The Asian Development Bank, one of the main TAPI backers, said the pipeline could start delivering gas by 2016.
The project could help allay Pakistan's energy woes as the country suffers from regular blackouts. Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said his country needs to make a concerted effort to explore untapped natural resources.
