Iran and Oman are poised to start a fresh round of talks on energy cooperation during Omani Oil Minister Mohammed bin Hamad al-Rumhi's visit to Tehran on Tuesday. A proposed joint sub-sea gas pipeline project expected to be the focus of talks.
The Dutch company Intecsea, a leading deepwater engineering company, has expressed interest in the construction of the planned underwater pipeline for supplying Iran’s natural gas to Oman.
Intecsea will offer Iran special engineering and technical services and studies for the pipeline, according to Mohammad Akbarzadeh, the director of Iran-Oman subsea pipeline feasibility studies, Mehr News Agency reported.
The multi-billion-dollar proposed pipeline will stretch over 400 kilometers. The overland part will cover 200 kilometers from Rudan County to the small town of Kuhmobarak both in southern Hormozgan Province. The seabed section between Iran and Sohar Port in the neighboring sultanate will be 200 kilometers. Reportedly, Iran will be able to use Oman's Qalhat Liquefied Natural Gas plant, which has the capacity to liquefy 10.4 million tons of LNG per annum.
Officials from the National Iranian Gas Company and Oman’s Ministry of Oil and Gas are discussing the prospects to include the Royal Dutch Shell, French energy giant Total and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) in the planned subsea pipeline.
"Iran and Oman have friendly relations … We are interested in receiving gas from Iran and are on board with all the details of the project," Oman's veteran Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah said last year in a meeting with Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh.
The two neighbors hope the pipeline can be commissioned two years after construction work begins. However, there are concerns that volatility in the oil/gas market in the past two years could undermine the planned project.
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