Iran tops world in oil pipeline construction: Report
Iran has ranked first in the world in the construction of oil transmission pipelines despite US-led sanctions targeting the country’s energy sector, according to a report.
In its latest report, Global Energy Monitor, which tracks energy projects across the world, said Iran tops the 20 developers of oil pipelines with over 1,900 kilometers of pipelines being constructed across the country.
The report said that Iran, in spite of being under illegal sanctions by the US, has the largest oil pipeline construction operation in the world, followed by India, Niger, Canada, and Benin.
The total oil pipeline under construction in Iran is 12 times higher than that of the United States, which is estimated to be 150 kilometers, the data showed.
The world’s five leading companies developing oil transmission pipelines are Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum, the China National Petroleum Corporation, Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, India’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited, and France’s TotalEnergies, respectively. Evidently, some of these companies are state-owned enterprises, and others are private companies.
Meanwhile, Global Energy Monitor said 9,100 kilometers of oil pipelines are under construction throughout the world, and planning is underway for the construction of additional 21,900 kilometers, adding that the total cost of constructing these pipelines stands at $131.9 billion.
According to the new data from the tracker, about half of the under-construction oil pipelines of the world, which includes 4,400 kilometers of pipelines, are located in Africa and West Asia.
The two regions are home to 49% of all oil transmission pipelines under construction globally at a cost of $25.3 billion.
Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said last month that the political developments in the region show the time has come for the construction of the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline.
Senator Hussain, who is also the chairperson of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Defense, emphasized that Pakistan and Iran have historical ties and said that Iran was the first country to recognize Pakistan on the world map, the Dawn Newspaper reported.
He added: “Before the arrival of the British, the Persian language was not only popular in the subcontinent but was the court language of many states including the Sikh empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.”
The senator said that Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Mohammad Ali Husseini has been highly successful as defense, security, intelligence, trade, and cross-border trade increased in both countries.
“For the first time, delegations representing the chiefs of intelligence services and the armed forces of Iran and Pakistan were exchanged.”
Iran’s gas pipeline to Pakistan dubbed the “Peace Pipeline” exports gas to India and Pakistan. According to the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) inked between the parties, Iran will strive to supply its gas to India and Pakistan at an agreed price for a period of 25 years.