TAPI pipeline project to commence soon
OIL & GAS

TAPI pipeline project to commence soon

Authorities from Turkmenistan are likely to arrive this weekend in Kabul to discuss commencing the work on the 1,800 kilometre TAPI pipeline, which Unocal vice-president Marty Miller's imagination helped birth—and, if it was not for 9/11, Unocal might just have succeeded.

TAPI is built to transport 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas each year from the Galkynysh fields, the world’s second-largest, across Afghanistan and Pakistan into Fazilka in southern Punjab.

For over three decades, the project has been viewed as a win for all its participants. Landlocked Turkmenistan would discover markets for its gas, cash-strapped Afghanistan and Pakistan would obtain from transit fees, and hydrocarbon-hungry India from reliable, cheap energy.

Even as it fought the Afghan state, the Taliban promised not to attack any TAPI-related development work, knowing it would additionally bring windfall gains.

Since 2016, New Delhi has supported TAPI; government-owned energy giant GAIL holds a 5% stake in the TAPI Pipeline Company, the special-purpose consortium behind the project.

Despite the hype, though, huge questions are hanging over the project—and not just around the obvious problems associated with pushing a pipeline through a war-torn nation. Funding the pipeline is the biggest of them.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has evaluated the cost of constructing the pipeline itself at some $10 billion. Experts consider the actual amount slightly higher, at $14-16 billion, not including upstream investments required for Turkmenistan to generate the promised 33bcm.

Expert Steve Mann has recommended that, in reality, it is very fair to view TAPI as a $40 billion plan.

Image Source



Authorities from Turkmenistan are likely to arrive this weekend in Kabul to discuss commencing the work on the 1,800 kilometre TAPI pipeline, which Unocal vice-president Marty Miller's imagination helped birth—and, if it was not for 9/11, Unocal might just have succeeded. TAPI is built to transport 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas each year from the Galkynysh fields, the world’s second-largest, across Afghanistan and Pakistan into Fazilka in southern Punjab. For over three decades, the project has been viewed as a win for all its participants. Landlocked Turkmenistan would discover markets for its gas, cash-strapped Afghanistan and Pakistan would obtain from transit fees, and hydrocarbon-hungry India from reliable, cheap energy. Even as it fought the Afghan state, the Taliban promised not to attack any TAPI-related development work, knowing it would additionally bring windfall gains. Since 2016, New Delhi has supported TAPI; government-owned energy giant GAIL holds a 5% stake in the TAPI Pipeline Company, the special-purpose consortium behind the project. Despite the hype, though, huge questions are hanging over the project—and not just around the obvious problems associated with pushing a pipeline through a war-torn nation. Funding the pipeline is the biggest of them. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has evaluated the cost of constructing the pipeline itself at some $10 billion. Experts consider the actual amount slightly higher, at $14-16 billion, not including upstream investments required for Turkmenistan to generate the promised 33bcm. Expert Steve Mann has recommended that, in reality, it is very fair to view TAPI as a $40 billion plan. Image Source

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Resources

Schindler named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026

Schindler has been named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026, a global ranking recognising companies for their workplace environments.Compiled by Forbes in partnership with Statista, the ranking is based on independent employee feedback, including whether employees would recommend their organisation to friends and family.The company said the recognition reflected its focus on creating a workplace where employees can develop their expertise and build careers. ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

India needs an export-execution mindset: Vishesh Jain

Interview with Vishesh Jain, Founder & CEO, EximpleWhat gaps in India’s global trade ecosystem led you to build Eximple, and what problem did you see businesses struggling with most?Eximple came out of a problem that all three founders had seen from different choke points in the trade ecosystem. India has millions of MSMEs and manufacturers, and many of them can make products that are genuinely competitive on quality. Yet only a small fraction is able to build meaningful international businesses. In our experience, the gap is usually not manufacturing capability; it is the ability to exe..

Next Story
Building Material

Nuvoco reports 13.5% revenue growth in Q2 FY27

Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd. reported consolidated revenue of Rs 27.9 billion for Q2 FY27, up 13.5% year on year. Cement sales volume rose 9% to 4.7 million tonnes (MMT), while EBITDA increased 11% to Rs 4.11 billion.The company said it began its cement operations in 2014 with a 2.3 MMT per annum (MMTPA) operation at Nimbol. It now aims to reach 35 MMTPA of cement capacity by FY28, nearly 15 times its initial capacity. Its portfolio spans cement, ready-mix concrete and modern building materials.On sustainability and cost efficiency, Nuvoco partnered with CleanMax for a 46.4 MW wind-solar hybrid re..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code