Islamabad: Pakistan Government has extended special exemptions to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline project, according to a news article published on November 27.
As stated by the source, these concessions, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) under the leadership of Power and Petroleum Minister Muhammad Ali include exemptions from the Open Access Regime, OGRA Gas (Third Party Access) Rules 2018, and the Pakistan Gas Network Code. Additionally, a standard waiver of immunity, aligning with international precedents, is expected to be incorporated into the Host Government Agreement (HGA).
The decision was made in the last week of the previous month during a CCoE meeting, with the minutes officially approved three weeks later after necessary modifications. The Petroleum Division provided insights into the TAPI project during the CCoE session, emphasising its goal of transporting natural gas from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh and adjacent gas fields to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
To facilitate the implementation of the project, the Pakistan Government had previously committed to adopting and implementing a uniform legal and regulatory framework, as per the Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement (GPFA) signed on December 11, 2010. The Host Government Agreements (HGA) between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the TAPI Pipeline Company Limited (TPCL) were outlined in the GPFA.
Under the forthcoming HGA, the Pakistan Government is set to grant special concessions and permissions to TPCL, covering various aspects such as travel, investment protection, approval processes, and more. These concessions are crucial for the uninterrupted transit of gas and the successful operation of the project for the next 30 years.
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