Will India Actually Build a $4.18 Billion, 2,000-Kilometer Subsea Energy Pipeline?
India is desperate due to an energy crisis.
On the 14th, Indian media revealed that, as the energy crisis intensifies, Modi's government has restarted reviewing the subsea natural gas pipeline project connecting India with the Middle East.
The plan aims to establish a network of natural gas pipelines linking Oman and India, spanning approximately 2,000 kilometers, with an estimated daily delivery capacity of 31 million cubic meters. The Indian government intends to allocate 400 billion rupees (about $4.18 billion) for infrastructure construction, with a projected timeline of five to seven years.
However, despite India’s well-laid plans, whether this project will actually come to fruition remains uncertain.
In fact, India began considering building subsea natural gas pipelines around 2010, even discussing subsea cable projects with Saudi Arabia and the UAE—yet all these efforts ultimately fizzled out. Even the once-hyped India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which was promoted by India and the U.S. as a counter to the Belt and Road Initiative, has since gone silent.
To put it plainly, if India truly had foresight and a sense of crisis, these projects should have already been launched and completed long ago—not waiting until 2026, when energy shortages are imminent, before reviving them.
Therefore, the likely outcome of India’s subsea natural gas pipeline project is that once Iran lifts its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and energy supplies stabilize, discussions within India about this plan will quickly cool down and fade into oblivion once again.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865252366238720/
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