BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 1
By Amina Nazarli - Trend:
Pakistan requested that Turkmenistan expedite the completion of the multi-billion dollar Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline as quickly as possible, Trend reports citing Business Turkmenistan.
The statement was made by Pakistani Energy Minister Hammad Azhar during the meeting with Turkmen Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Khadzhiev in Islamabad, as part of his visit to discuss joint energy projects from January 30 through February 4.
Azhar highlighted the government of Pakistan's intention to complete the TAPI project ahead of schedule due to Pakistan's need for an increased natural gas supply.
Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to the TAPI project, stressing the importance of accelerating this work.
Financing is the major impediment to the $10-billion project that has been cash-strapped since its inception and the financing issues worsened even more since Afghanistan's government fell.
In India, the endpoint of TAPI, the entire infrastructure has already been built in order to receive the gas pipeline. But Afghanistan and Pakistan have been unable to complete the construction of their sections for several years.
The 1,814-kilometer-long TAPI gas pipeline is aimed to connect Turkmenistan to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is aimed to connect the massive Galkynysh gas field in southern Turkmenistan to Fazilka in western India. The project is planned to pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar, Pakistani Quetta, and Multan before reaching Fazilka in western India.
The pipeline is expected to transmit 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year once completed.