The gas pipeline to link Turkmenistan, one of the main energy suppliers of Central Asia, and the South Asian market is becoming more real after 20 years of negotiations, Trend reports.
The 1800-km pipeline will transport up to 90 million cubic meters of natural gas daily, Director General of the Department for Middle Asia and Western Asia of the Asian Development Bank Claus Herhausser said. The bank has supported the project since 2002.
Turkmen gas will fulfill demands of India and Pakistan, where demand is expected to double by 2030. It will also help Afghanistan.
Turkmenistan signed a deal to sell gas to State Gas Systems of Pakistan и GAIL ltd. (India) on Wednesday within the framework of the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-
Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.
The project is worth about $7.6 billion, as evaluated in 2008. The basic document for TAPI promotion is a deal signed in Ashkhabad in late 2010. Pipeline security in Afghanistan is still an issue for discussion. Besides the Dovletabad Field, fuel may come from Galkynysh. Russia and the US are interested in the project.
