Turkmenistan to export 500 mln cubic meters of gas per year to Afghanistan at first stage
ASHGABAT. Oct 24 (Interfax) - Turkmenistan's gas exports to Afghanistan via the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline currently under construction could reach around 500 million cubic meters per year at the first stage, with plans to boost the volume to 1.5 billion cubic meters per year, Maksat Babayev, Turkmenistan's State Minister and Chairman of state-owned Turkmengas company, told reporters on the sidelines of the Turkmenistan Oil and Gas 2025 international exhibition.
"According to the contract with Afghan Gas Company, the volume is projected to be 500 million cubic meters per year in the first few years. The pipeline infrastructure in Afghanistan is currently underdeveloped. Subsequently, deliveries of up to 1.5 bcm per year are envisaged," Babayev said, noting that an increase to 3-4 bcm per year is possible going forward.
As reported, construction of the TAPI gas pipeline began along the Serhetabad-Herat route in Afghanistan in September 2024. The total length of the section will be approximately 150 km, with completion scheduled for late 2026, and gas delivery expected by the same time or early 2027.
The TAPI gas pipeline with output capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year will run from the giant Galkynysh gas field in southern Turkmenistan, with reserves estimated at 27.4 trillion cubic meters of gas, through Afghanistan's cities of Herat and Kandahar, Pakistan's Quetta and Multan to the city of Fazilka in western India. The overall cost of the project is preliminarily estimated to be $10 billion.
The TAPI gas pipeline is 1,814 km in total length, with 214 km traversing Turkmenistan, 774 km traversing Afghanistan, and 826 km traversing Pakistan to the border with India.
Turkmenistan has built its section and prepared it for operation in 2024.
Turkmengas state gas concern is the majority shareholder in the TAPI Pipeline Company Limited project operator with an 85% stake. Afghan Gas Corporation, Pakistan's Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited, and India's GAIL each hold 5% of the shares in the consortium.
