ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to expedite work on the TAPI pipeline project, which aims to link the energy-rich Central Asian country with Pakistan and India via Afghanistan.
The pipeline is set to transport 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas annually along a route stretching 1,800 km (1,125 miles) from Galkynysh, the world’s second-largest gas field, to the Indian city of Fazilka, near the Pakistani border.
The project was launched in Afghanistan in 2018, during a time when the Taliban were fighting the Western-backed government in Kabul. The Taliban, however, pledged their cooperation, recognising the project as a vital component of the country’s future economic infrastructure. Afghanistan, which faces chronic energy shortages, is expected to take 5 per cent of the gas, with the remainder to be divided equally between Pakistan and India.
“Pakistan and Turkmenistan have decided to accelerate work on the TAPI gas pipeline project,” reported Radio Pakistan after the Minister for Petroleum, Musadik Malik, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredow, who was on a two-day visit to Pakistan.
“Substantial progress has been made through collaboration on the TAPI Gas Pipeline project aimed at promoting economic integration and energy security,” Malik was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan.
The CEO of TAPI Pipeline Company, who also attended the meeting, stated that the pipeline project had made “significant progress and was on the right track due to the interest of Pakistan’s Ministry of Petroleum and Special Investment Facilitation Council.”
Rashid Meredow mentioned that a “roadmap” would be developed to enhance cooperation between Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic with 4 per cent of the world’s natural gas reserves, plans to triple its gas output to 230 billion cubic metres (bcm) over the next 20 years. With a population of only 5 million, the country aims to export nearly 80 per cent of its production. While traditionally sending its gas north to Russia, Turkmenistan is becoming an increasingly important supplier to China, Iran, and Europe. The TAPI pipeline would provide India and Pakistan with significant new export markets.
