(a) whether Minister of Petroleum and natural Gas recently visited Iran;
(b) if so, whether any agreement has been signed between the two countries in the field of petroleum products and gas;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the progress made in this regard so far on the basis of the agreement?
THE MINISTER OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS & PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRI MANI SHANKAR AIYAR)
(a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 68 BY SHRI RAM SINGH KASWAN & SHRI GANESH SINGH, MPs TO BE ANSWERED ON 28TH JULY, 2005 REGARDING VISIT OF PETROLEUM MINISTER TO IRAN.
(a) to (d): The Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj visited Iran between the 11th and the 14th June 2005 at the invitation of the Minister of Petroleum of Iran to review the progress of import of natural gas from Iran, both in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as well as through pipeline, as also other projects/proposals with a view to furthering hydrocarbon sector cooperation between the two countries.
During the visit, a Sale Purchase Agreement (SPA) for the purchase of 5 million metric tones per annum (MMTPA) of LNG was signed between GAIL (India) Limited (GAIL)/Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)/Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and National Iranian Gas Export Company Limited (NIGEC) on the 13th June, 2005, in Tehran in the presence of the two Ministers.
As part of the package deal for the import of 5 MMTPA LNG by the Indian companies, under a Buyback Contract, ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) have been offered 100% rights and obligations for the development of the Jufeyr oilfield and 10% rights and obligations for development of the Yadavaran oilfield in Iran.
On the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, a Heads of Agreement was signed between NIGEC and the Indian companies. The two sides agreed to constitute an India – Iran Special JWG to discuss the technical, financial, commercial, legal and related issues to realize a safe and secure world-class project.
The other projects/proposal discussed during the Minister’s visit to Iran include IOC’s joint proposal, with Petropars of Iran, for the award of a block to set up a gas liquefaction plant and the marketing of LNG, GAIL’s plan to participate in a petrochemical project and CNG business in Iran; exploration by OVL in Farsi Block in Iran; and R&D cooperation.