Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Dec. 28 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Turkmen President, Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov, referred to the TAPI natural gas pipeline project (involving Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) as playing a particularly humanitarian role. He noted the project as strengthening mutually advantageous and effective partnerships between all the participating countries. Not only will it ensure stability, but also create new jobs and facilitate sustainable social and economic development in all the transit countries, the Miras television channel reported.
He named the agreement and signing of TAPI in 2010 as one of the significant achievements of the year.
The relevant parties involved in the TAPI natural gas pipeline project reached agreements at intergovernmental level at the Ashgabat Summit in December. The key document was signed by the Presidents of Turkmenistan (Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov), Pakistan (Hamid Karzai),and Afghanistan (Asif Ali Zardari), as well as the Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Murli Deora.
The energy ministers of the four countries also signed the agreed upon framework.
Further negotiations are still in need of conclusion on sales and purchases, transit, creating a consortium, security, as well as financing.
The length of the TAPI gas pipeline could reach over 17,000 kilometers, with a design capacity of transporting 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. Expectations are that the project will continue to operate for decades, and will provide the opportunity to adequately respond to demands in Asia, particularly India and Pakistan, where the economy is rapidly growing.
The planned route runs from the Turkmen Dovletabat fields through Herat and Kandahar (Afghanistan), via the districts of Quetta (Pakistan), to Fazlaka on the India-Pakistan border.
The Asian Development Bank promotes the project. In 2010 it was decided that raw materials will be supplied by the "Southern Yoloten - Osman" field, in addition to the Dovlatabad field. The Southern Yoloten - Osman's resources are valued by local geologists to be at 22 trillion cubic meters.
The unstable situation in Afghanistan remains a serious obstacle to the project, but Kabul and Islamabad confirmed that they will be able to secure the route.
Italy's leading Eni oil and gas company recently stated its desire to transport gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India.
BP reported that Turkmenistan occupies the fourth place in the world for natural gas reserves after Russia, Iran and Qatar. Turkmenistan launched gas exports to China, Iran and Russia in 2010, and intends to enter the European market.