ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Nov. 20
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
A preliminary feasibility study for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline construction project in neighboring countries has been completed, Trend reports referring to Altyn Asyr national TV channel.
This was announced at a meeting of the Turkmen government, at which Muhammetmyrat Amanov, representative of TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd from the Turkmengas state concern, delivered a report.
“The prepared documents have been agreed with the relevant ministries of the participating countries,” the representative of the company said. “The work on assessing the environmental impact of the project in Afghanistan and Pakistan was completed and positive conclusions were received.”
“The research work on exploring soil, atmosphere and ground conditions completed in the territory of these countries,” Amanov added. “A total of more than 2,000 specialists were involved in this work carried out taking into account all the requirements of international standards and financial institutions.”
“The summing up of the results of the international tenders to attract contractors for the logistics of the gas pipeline construction and coordination of the terms of contracts are at the final stage,” Amanov said. “The companies from Germany, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Greece and other countries take part in the tenders.”
The negotiations are underway with the export credit agencies of Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (ADB), as well as other financial institutions and big international banks that are interested in participation in the project to attract investments. Moreover, together with the relevant structures of the countries participating in the project, the work is underway to supplement the previously concluded agreements.
The general terms of the agreement were signed between the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and the host parties. The terms of the provisions of this agreement regarding gas transit and transportation are being agreed, said the report, and this work is planned to be completed in the first quarter of next year.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized the international importance of the TAPI project in the formation of a new structure of global energy security and creation of conditions for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“Along the new energy route, power transmission lines and fiber-optic lines will stretch along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route, which will be another real step towards the comprehensive integration of the countries participating in the project into the world economic relations system,” the Turkmen president said.
The length of the Turkmen section of the TAPI pipeline, the construction of which was launched in December 2015, will be 205 kilometers (the main operations are carried out on the 120th kilometer). The pipeline will pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 kilometers), through the cities of Quetta and Multan across Pakistani territory (819 kilometers), and reach the city of Fazilka in India.
The construction of the Afghan section of the pipeline was initiated in February 2018, while the construction of the Pakistani section was planned to be launched till late 2019.
The pipeline’s design capacity will be 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and the project’s cost is estimated at about $8 billion.
The Turkmengas State Concern is the leader of the TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd. international consortium. It makes decisions regarding the investors and acts as the main financier and manager of the project. The consortium also includes Afghan Gas Corporation, Pakistan’s Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited Company and India’s GAIL Company.
The project is being promoted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a project transaction advisor. TAPI's resource base will be Galkynysh, the second biggest field in the world (after South Pars in Iran).