ISLAMABAD, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A Pakistani energy official said Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom could eventually play a role in a long-planned natural gas pipeline from Iran.
Pakistani Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said his administration was supporting a planned Iranian natural gas pipeline in an effort to address ongoing energy concerns. The country's aging infrastructure and energy sector mismanagement has left most the country without a reliable source of electricity.
A source in the Pakistani Petroleum Ministry was quoted Monday by the Platts energy news company as saying Gazprom, or a subsidiary, will contact the government "soon" about a possible role in the pipeline.
Pakistani officials this year said they expect to receive 750 million cubic feet of natural gas from Iran each day through the pipeline once all operations are completed. The pipeline would stretch about 683 miles from offshore natural gas fields in Iran through Pakistani territory. Parts of it could be completed by next year.
A rival natural gas pipeline from Turkmenistan, favored by the United States, has the support of the Asian Development Bank.
