LAHORE: New Delhi has demanded sovereign payment guarantee from Pakistan in order to export five million standard cubic meters natural gas per day to Lahore through a 110-km pipeline near Atari, top Customs officials said.
“Despite the fact that both the sides are agreed that natural gas supply to Lahore from Indian Punjab is disable but sovereign payment guarantees have become a hurdle in the way of import of natural gas from India, ” the sources said on condition of anonymity. They said that Pakistan is striving to import natural gas from India in order to meet the rising domestic demand for energy.
The sources quoted experts as saying that technically it is possible to import gas from Indian Punjab. They said the import of gas from Indian would cost Pakistan $22.3 per mmBtu, including all taxes and duties, while transportation of gas through trunk pipelines would cost $1.75. The gas from India will be imported to run a power plant of up to 1,200 MW to add electricity to the national grid, the sources disclosed.
