Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 17
By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:
The construction of the Turkmen section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) interstate gas pipeline with a capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of marketable gas per year will be conducted by the domestic fuel and energy complex of Turkmenistan, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper said Oct.17.
Earlier it was reported that the Turkmengaz state concern was unanimously elected leader of the TAPI Ltd consortium. As a leader, the concern will supervise the interaction for the construction, financing, ownership and operation of the pipeline.
Having this kind of experience, the experts of Turkmengaz and Turkmenneftegazgurlushyk state concerns will timely implement basic work on laying the 215-kilometer section of the pipeline in the south-east of the country, its arrangement and the establishment of the necessary infrastructure, according to the newspaper.
The article said that the experts of Turkmengaz state concern have already started engineering and survey work on the route of the future gas pipeline. They implement a set of technical and geological studies on the route of the future gas artery from the giant Galkynysh field to the border with Afghanistan.
Local experts conducted a topographical survey at the 160-kilometer section. Geological survey and prospecting was carried out on 50 kilometers of the route. In the near future, field work will be completed in the barchan area of the Karakum Desert and begin in the highlands.
At the same time, work on the analysis and selection of equipment required for installation and use on the linear part of the strategic pipeline and its supporting sections is being carried out.
"Thus, the participants of this project have come close to the start of its implementation - the laying of the pipeline's linear part," the newspaper said.
The basic document for the TAPI promotion is the Ashgabat interstate agreement on launching the practical implementation of this project signed between the participating countries in 2010. The annual pumping capacity of the gas pipeline will be 33 billion cubic meters.
The gas pipeline's total length will be 1,735 kilometers; some 200 kilometers of this will run through Turkmenistan, 735 kilometers - through Afghanistan, 800 kilometers - through Pakistan to the Fazilka settlement on the border with India.
The TAPI project cost is up to $10 billion.