TAPI project to launch in December

Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, November 26, 2015 – After years of delays, groundbreaking for the TAPI pipeline project will take place in Turkmenistan on December 13, the country’s ambassador to Pakistan has said.

The 56-inch pipeline, which will run for 1,735 kilometres from Turkmenistan to India, crossing Afghanistan and Pakistan on the way, will carry 33 bcm (1.16 tcf) of gas per year when it is complete.

Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth-largest reserves of natural gas, but nearly all of its exports go to China. Russia was previously a major importer of Turkmenistan gas, but its demand has dwindled in recent years.

The pipeline, under construction by state-run Turkmengas with other companies expected to join in later stages, is meant to diversify these exports and spur economic growth.

Funding for the roughly $10-billion project comes mainly from the Asian Development Bank. Planning has been underway since the 1990s, but the logistics of crossing Afghanistan have caused construction to be postponed repeatedly.

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