Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Nov. 18 / Trend H. Hasanov /
The U.S. has welcomed renewed interest in TAPI, and the possibility of U.S companies participating in the project, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy, Senior Advisor Daniel D. Stein said at the oil and gas conference in Ashgabat.
Of course, we recognize the challenges to completing such a project, from both a security and commercial standpoint, he said.
He said that as the project development process moves forward, it is important to keep in mind that private sector participation will be critical in making the TAPI project a success.
TAPI must be viewed as an integrated project, from the gas fields in Turkmenistan supplying the gas to the ultimate markets in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, he said.
He said that the road ahead is long for TAPI, but the benefits would be significant and are certainly worthy of the diligence and interest demonstrated by the four countries.
He said that the TAPI project would provide revenue and jobs for Afghanistan at a critical time in its economic development.
TAPI would also provide clean fuel to the growing economies of Pakistan and India.
Since signature of the Intergovernmental Agreement last December, the parties have been negotiating gas sales and purchase agreements.
The official agreement may be signed soon.
The TAPI's length can hit more than 17,000 km, its design capacity - 33 bcm of natural gas per year. The cost is estimated at $7-8 billion.