Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11
By Huseyn Hasanov– Trend:
Islamabad hosted a workshop on assessing the strategic regional significance of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message.
The event was organized by the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Pakistan together with the Measac Research Center. Expert of the Measac Research Center Abdul Rahman Bilal made a presentation on the technical features of TAPI, its future route, issues of financing and feasibility study.
Director General of the Measac Research Centre Mohammad Abdullah Gul highly appreciated the regional importance of the TAPI gas pipeline, designed to unite peoples and ensure peace and stability in the region, the message said.
Ali Muhammad Khan, minister of state for parliamentary affairs of Pakistan, noted that the TAPI project will serve as a bridge among nations.
In all the speeches, the TAPI gas pipeline was defined as a project designed to strengthen the economies of the countries of the region, speed up integration and ensure peace and stability in the region, the message said.
The total length of the TAPI gas pipeline will be approximately 1,840 kilometers.
Turkmen section of TAPI, the construction of which started in December 2015, will be 205 kilometers. Then the pipeline will pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 km), then on the territory of Pakistan, through the city of Quetta and Multan (819 km), and will reach the settlement of Fazilka in India.
On February 23, 2018, has begun the construction of the Afghan section of the TAPI gas pipeline, which will export gas from the Galkynysh field in Turkmenistan.
The possible costs of the TAPI project vary within $8-10 billion.
The consortium, with the participation of the Asian development Bank (ADB), continues active negotiations with all interested parties. Various options of participation in the project, such as participation in the company's share, project financing, financing through international development banks and with the help of export credit agencies from around the world are being examined.
As the leader of TAPI Pipeline company Limited, Turkmengas State Concern, which has a controlling stake, acts as the main financier and project manager.
The consortium also includes the Afghanistan Gas Corporation, Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited and Indian GAIL.