Oman government is yet to appoint a consultant to conduct a feasibility study for building a 260-km-long pipeline that will carry Iranian gas to Oman, which could probably delay the implementation of the project.
"[Work for] the feasibility study at the moment is being kicked off. We have not finalized the tender regarding the feasibility study. We need to do the feasibility study first," Salim Nasser Said Al Aufi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, told the Times of Oman.
Asked about the latest developments in the project, the official said, "We need to agree exactly in which direction the pipeline is going. We need to finalize the feasibility study. We need to make sure that whoever is doing the study is not impacted by the sanctions on Iran and so on. So, it is not an easy project."
Oman's Minister of Oil and Gas Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy had earlier said that the Iran-Oman gas pipeline project should be completed by the end of 2017, according to news agencies.
In addition, Iranian Ambassador to the Sultanate, Ali Akbar Sibeveih, had previously told the Times of Oman that the excess gas, which is projected to account for 50 per cent of the total amount of the gas exported to Oman, would be delivered to Japan, South Korea, and especially India.