Bangladesh Drops Plan to Join TAPI Pipeline

Bangladesh has decide to opt out of its plan to join the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project as it is not commercially viable, a top energy ministry official to Financial Express Bangladesh on Sturday.

Importing natural gas from the distant Central Asia's Turkmenistan to South Asia's Bangladesh through three separate countries will not be feasible as the price of gas will be higher, he said. The feasibility study was carried out state-owned Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL) recently

Bangladesh will have to pay huge amount of money as wheeling charge to the gas carrying countries -- Afghanistan, Pakistan and India -- apart from the Turkmenistan gas price, the official said.

Last May, Bangladesh had sent an initial proposal to the TAPI steering committee expressing its interest to be part of the TAPI gas pipeline to ensure an alternative source of energy to meet its growing fuel demand.