Groundbreaking of Pak Section of Tapi in October: Report

Groundbreaking ceremony of the Pakistan section of the $10bn four-nation Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) pipeline project is expected to take place in Chaman in October this year, Associated Press of Pakistan reported July 2.

Secretary petroleum division Mian Asad Hayauddin told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy that successful execution of Tapi and Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline projects could help Pakistan reduce imports of LPG and LNG.

The committee was informed that a meeting with Turkmen experts was scheduled to be held next month, the newspaper reported.

Tapi is planned to be 1,814 km long, of which 214 km run through Turkmenistan, 774 km through Afghanistan, and 826 km through Pakistan to the border with India. Work on the Afghan section of the Tapi pipeline started in February, with a groundbreaking ceremony taking place in Herat city. 

The much-delayed pipeline aims to transfer 33bn m³/yr of gas from Turkmenistan’s giant Galkynysh gas field to participating countries by 2020. However, many believe the security situation in Afghanistan could yet derail the project.