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Different factors to affect TAPI's prospects - expert

Commentary Materials 7 August 2017 17:16 (UTC +04:00)
There are various factors which may have certain impact on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline’s prospects, an experts believes.
Different factors to affect TAPI's prospects - expert

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

By Kamila Aliyeva – Trend:

There are various factors, which may have certain impact on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline’s prospects, Muhammed Iltaf, Regional Head of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), told Trend.

The expert noted that China’s interests in the pipeline are of high importance for the project’s implementation.

“Introduction of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of China's One Belt - One Road (OBOR) initiative has brought Pakistan and China closer,” he said.

Therefore, due to China’s influence in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan, it needs to be ascertained what interests China has in TAPI and how it is going to influence the project’s prospects, according to the expert.

“At the same time, Pakistan and India are investing heavily in their LNG import infrastructure, thus their urge and enthusiasm to complete the project soon is getting diminished,” he added.

TAPI will make it possible to deliver gas from Turkmenistan, which ranks fourth in the world for its gas reserves, to large and promising markets of South and Southeast Asia. The pipeline will run from Galkynysh – the largest gas field in Turkmenistan – through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar, and finally reach the Fazilka settlement located near the India-Pakistan border.

Annual capacity of the gas pipeline will reach 33 billion cubic meters. Total length of the TAPI pipeline will be 1,814 kilometers. The project's preliminary cost is estimated at $10 billion.

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