印度与巴基斯坦合建天然气管道

India and Pakistan Commit to Building Gas Pipeline¹

印度与巴基斯坦合建天然气管道

 

India and Pakistan say work on a gas pipeline linking Iran to India via Pakistan could begin next year. Officials from the two countries expressed serious commitment to the project at the end of two days of talks held recently in New Delhi.

 

Officials from the two South Asian countries say they will appoint separate legal and financial consultants³ to begin work on the project to build a 2,600-kilometer pipeline to carry gas from Iranian gas fields to India through Pakistani territory.

 

The two-day talks in New Delhi also included issues such as financing and security of the pipeline, pricing and sharing of the gas.

 

The project cost was initially⁴ estimated at $4 billion, but an increase in steel prices could push that up substantially.

 

An energy expert with the Confederation of Indian Industry, V. Raghuraman, says the pipeline is vital for India, because energy demands are expected to double by 2020 as the economy grows.

 

V. Raghuraman: The pipeline is very strategic because Iran is sitting with a lot of gas reserves. The best way to access it is through the land route of Pakistan, and it gives the most win-win situation for all three countries -- Iran, India, and Pakistan.

 

Pakistan says it wants the project completed by 2010 when it may face shortages of natural gas. It will also earn millions of dollars in transit⁵ fees.

 

Pakistan recently signed an agreement with Iran for the project. Officials say this will be expanded to involve India.

 

India is also considering two other gas pipeline projects, one that would run from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan, and another from Burma to the east of the country.

 

Mr. Raghuraman says India is exploring the possibilities of meeting its needs from several Asian countries. These projects could involve East Asian countries and former Soviet⁶ republics.

 

Mr. Raghuraman: In the long run we have to think of an Asian gas grid⁷ which will run along from the CIS to Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

 

India imports 70 percent of its crude oil, and only produces half the natural gas it needs.

 

The India-Pakistan-Iran pipeline project was proposed a decade ago, but it only gained momentum⁸ because of the peace process between India and Pakistan.

 

The project hit another roadblock when the United States voiced reservations about the plan because it involves Iran -- a country it accuses of supporting terrorism and having a nuclear weapons program.

 

But India and Pakistan say they will not abandon a project which is in their national interest.

 

Anjana Pasricha, for VOA news, New Delhi.

 

注释：

via [5vaiE] prep. 经由，途经

New Delhi [nju:5deli] n. 新德里（印度首都）

consultant² [kEn5sQltEnt] n. 顾问

territory [5teritEri] n. 领土，地域

pricing [5praisiN] n. 定价

strategic [strE5ti:dVik] adj. 有战略意义的

reserve [ri5zE:v] n. 储量

shortage [5FC:tidV] n. 不足，缺乏

Turkmenistan [7tE:kmeni5stB:n] n. 土库曼斯坦（位于中亚）

gas grid 气体供应网

CIS abbr. 独联体 (Commonwealth of Independent States)

1 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

2 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

3 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

6 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

7 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

8 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。