The Turkmen side is finally starting to construct its part of the transnational Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline.
Myratgeldy Meredov, a deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Turkmenistan reported that their section was fully supplied with steel pipes and can begin construction. Their national gas company, Turkmengaz, signed an agreement with a Hong Kong-based company to oversee the construction operations.
The project started in Turkmenistan in 2015 and would supply natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in the country through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The 1,814-kilometre pipeline was supposed to be operational by 2019.
As of now, pipes have been welded completely in Afghanistan’s territory. They continue to lay down the welded pipes and have brought the pipeline all the way to the Afghan-Turkmen border.
Turkmenistan face a problem with the supply of the steel pipes. The most recent consignment of 150,000 tons of corrosion-proofed, high-strength pipes came from Russia’s Chelyabinsk Pipe Plant.
Turkmengas is looking into the supply of the gate valves and various auxiliary equipment for the Turkmen section of the gas pipeline. They have planned to install large-sized valves along the gas pipeline.
Summarising it, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said the TAPI project is progressing at fast pace and noted that it is an important component of Turkmenistan’s energy strategy.
Turkmenistan is also drawing up plans for laying down a Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan high-voltage power line that would run along the gas pipeline.
