Asian Development Bank Hopes TAPI Will be Operational in Five Years

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is confident that TAPI gas pipeline project will be operation in another five years, despite security concerns.

Speaking on the sidelines of 49th annual meeting of ADB in Frankfurt, Bank’s Director General for Central and West Asia Department Sean M. O’ Sullivan said all four member countries have established a project company by contributing initial money of $200 million, which will pave the way for the construction of 800-kilometre-long pipeline, Pakistani newspaper The News reported Thursday.

In April, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) agreed to invest $200 million in the next stage of the multibillion dollar TAPI pipeline project. The agreement was signed during 24th meeting of the steering committee of the TAPI pipeline project which was held in Ashgabat.

Sullivan said that even Afghanistan had paid its equity share for establishing the project company for the TAPI gas pipeline. The major challenge for TAPI project will be ensuring security in the region but it is hoped that it will be overcome, he added.

ADB was appointed the transaction advisor for the TAPI gas pipeline project in November 2013. 

The TAPI pipeline will export up to 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India over 30 years. 

Turkmenistan has already kick-started work on this project and now the work will be done to finalise design of the pipeline, O’ Sullivan said.