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Oman’s energy minister Salim al-Aufi has said a long-stalled project to lay an undersea pipeline to carry Iranian gas to Oman is finally progressing.
According to Aufi, Tehran and Muscat have agreed to form a technical team to review the progress of the Iran-Oman gas pipeline project.
“The Iranians have progressed well in completing the pipeline project and made good achievements,” he was quoted by Omani media as saying.
CEO of Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company Reza Noshadi recently said that Tehran had begun laying the pipeline for transfer of gas to Oman from Minab to Kuh Mubarak near the Iranian port of Jask.
The agreement to revive the project was reached during a trip to Oman by Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji ahead of an official visit to the Persian Gulf Arab state by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi about a year ago.
Last month, Aufi visited Tehran where the two countries “seriously” discussed various issues related to the project, including the mechanism of Iran’s gas sales to Oman.
With Iran’s gas in Oman, all options are there,” Aufi said in his new interview.
The revival of the project could also bring a joint LNG plan back to life, while Oman is further laying out for production of hydrogen which is generated from natural gas, but uses carbon capture technology to curb up to 90% of the resulting emissions.
According to Aufi, Oman can meet its gas needs for the next 10 years, but imports from Iran can allow his country to convert the imported gas to liquid gas or blue hydrogen and expand its domestic industries or re-export it to India and the UAE. |
