Turkmenistan, Afghanistan review implementation of TAPI gas pipeline project

By Trend

Turkmenistan and Afghanistan reviewed the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

The review was held during a videoconference between Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Acting Chairman of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ajmal Ahmadi on August 2, 2020.

The parties focused on the need to further strengthen and develop ties across the entire spectrum of mutually beneficial Turkmen-Afghan cooperation.

The representatives of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning Land Acquisition for the Afghan portion of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.

The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI), also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Galkynysh – TAPI Pipeline Company Limited with participation of the Asian Development Bank.

The pipeline will transport natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. Construction on the project started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015.

The length of the Turkmen section of the TAPI pipeline, the construction of which was launched in December 2015, will be 205 kilometers (the main operations are carried out on the 120th kilometer). The pipeline will pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 kilometers), through the cities of Quetta and Multan across Pakistani territory (819 kilometers), and reach the city of Fazilka in India.

The pipeline’s design capacity is planned to be 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and the project’s cost - about $8 billion.