Turkmengaz, Afghan Gas sign memorandum on gas services for Herat Province
ASHGABAT. Aug 11 (Interfax) - Turkmengaz and Afghan Gas have signed a memorandum on the gasification of Afghanistan's Herat Province, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported.
Under the memorandum, the state companies plan to work together on building gas transport infrastructure in Herat and supplying Turkmen natural gas to industrial enterprises, power plants and households in the province, the paper said.
The signing ceremony for the document was held during People's Council of Turkmenistan Chairman Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov's visit to Afghanistan and his talks with Afghan Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar. They discussed cooperation in the fuel and energy sector, including the implementation of the project to build the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the development of transport and electricity infrastructure.
Afghan news agency DID Press, citing Baradar's office, reported that 116 km of pipeline have been laid on Afghanistan's section of the TAPI pipeline, of which 38 km have been laid completely underground.
Another 135 km of the pipeline are fully ready for pipe laying, with trenches cleared and onsite engineering preparations made. The key stage of pipeline construction to the city of Herat is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to the approved schedule.
Field surveys and design for the internal gas distribution network in Herat itself will begin soon.
Turkmen gas supplies to this large industrial center are expected to give a strong push to the development of the local economy, providing fuel to hundreds of manufacturing businesses and setting the stage for the creation of thousands of new jobs.
The gas will also be used by local heat and power plants, enabling Afghanistan to significantly reduce its dependence on imported electricity and lay the foundation for its energy security.
Construction of the first Afghan section of the TAPI pipeline, 153 km from Serhetabat to Herat, began on September 11, 2024. About 700 Turkmen professionals and over 300 pieces of specialized equipment are involved in the construction, which is being carried out by Turkmengaz. Seventeen international contracts have been signed to purchase equipment.
Under Turkmengaz's contract with Afghan Gas, the Turkmen company will supply 500 million cubic meters of gas per year in the first years of the pipeline's operation, and subsequently increase supplies to 1.5 bcm, and eventually possibly to 3 bcm-4 bcm per year.
The TAPI pipeline, with design capacity to carry 33 bcm of gas per year, will run from the huge Galkynysh gas field in southern Turkmenistan, with reserves of 27.4 trillion cubic meters, through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar, and Quetta and Multan in Pakistan to the city of Fazilka in western India. Preliminary estimates put the cost of the project at $10 billion.
The pipeline will run a total of 1,800 km, including 214 km in Turkmenistan, 774 km in Afghanistan and 826 km through Pakistan to the border with India. Turkmenistan built its section and prepared it for operation in 2024.
Turkmengaz holds an 85% stake in the project operator, TAPI Pipeline Company Limited. Afghan Gas, Pakistan's Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited and India's GAIL each hold 5% stakes in the consortium.
