Page 7 - AsianOil Week 16 2021

AsianOil SOUTH ASIA AsianOil

Both ONGC and RIL-BP are spearheading HDFC Securities expects ONGC’s pro-
multi-billion projects – KG-DWN-98/2 (KG- duction to climb from 62 mcm per day in the
D5) and KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6) respectively previous fiscal period to 67 mcm per day in
– offshore India’s east coast. 2021-2022, 69 mcm per day in 2022-2023 and
RIL-BP commissioned the D-34 field in 75 mcm per day in 2023-2024. RIL-BP, mean-
December 2020, for example, and ramped up while, are expected to see output climb from 11
production from an initial 1.3 mcm per day to mcm per day 2020-2021 to 38 mcm per day by
9.6 mcm per day in March. The oil ministry said 2023-2024.
the field’s stronger output was a driving force The brokerage expects national demand to
for an 11% y/y uptick in national output for the expand from 153.8 mcm per day in 2020-2021
month. to 215.5 mcm per day in 2024-2025.™

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan

to secure TAPI restart

PIPELINES & TURKMENISTAN and Afghanistan have
TRANSPORT agreed to provide joint security for the construc-
tion of latter country’s segment of the Turkmeni-
stan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI).
The Turkmen Foreign Affairs Ministry has
revealed that TAPI board member Muhammet-
myrat Amanov met with Afghan National Secu-
rity Council deputy secretary Ebadullah Ebad to
rubberstamp security for the construction of the
780-km section of the pipeline.
The set of undisclosed measures is expected
to stay in place until August to provide suffi-
cient security to restart the pipeline’s construc-
tion. Construction on the Afghan segment was
brought to a halt last year by the COVID-19
pandemic.
War-torn Afghanistan’s involvement in TAPI
means many analysts see the project as highly
risky, while progress or lack thereof on Turk-
menistan’s own segment of the pipeline has been
mostly shrouded in mystery. Kandahar in Afghanistan and Quetta and Mul-
However, the Asian Development Bank tan in Pakistan.
(ADB) in its “Asian Economic Integration Construction of the Afghan section officially
Report 2021” report said that TAPI’s first phase began in February 2018, but more than three years
remained on track and was set for launch in later no significant progress has been reported
2021. despite some security assurances from the Taliban.
The 1,814-km TAPI pipeline is designed The situation could become even more chal-
to run from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas lenging with the US withdrawal of its troops
field to the Indian city of Fazilka via Herat and from Afghanistan planned for September 11.™

Week 16 22•April•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P7