Turkmenistan hosted a meeting on a shareholder agreement on the Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Turkmenistan said Sunday.
The specialists exchanged the views during the meeting. The statements about the economic feasibility of this project, based on the high demand for natural gas in South Asia, were heard.
“The TAPI main gas pipeline is designed to make a significant contribution to the sustainable socio-economic development of the Asian region and in general, to contribute to the strengthening of the global energy security,” the statement said. “It became a true bridge of peace, friendship and long-term cooperation on the Eurasian continent by connecting South Asia with Central Asian countries rich in energy resources.”
The basic document for the TAPI promotion is the Ashgabat interstate agreement on launching the practical implementation of this project signed between the participating countries in 2010. The annual pumping capacity of the gas pipeline will be 33 billion cubic meters.
The gas pipeline’s total length will be 1,735 kilometers; some 200 kilometers of this will run through Turkmenistan, 735 kilometers – through Afghanistan, 800 kilometers – through Pakistan to the Fazilka settlement on the border with India. The TAPI project cost is up to $10 billion.