KABUL, May 14(TNS): Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) ruled out any delay in the execution of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, Afghan media reported on Monday.
Earlier, some media reports indicated the implementation of the Afghan section of the multibillion energy project could be delayed. The reports said land for the pipeline passing through Afghanistan was yet to be earmarked.
But the MoMP spokesman explained the project’s implementation had already started and there would be no delay in it in the landlocked country.
Turkmenistan has allocated US$2 billion from its own resources for the execution of the scheme that would carry gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
He called the 1,840km-long gas pipeline one of mega projects in the energy-deficient region. It will supply natural gas from Turkmenistan to India passing via Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The pipeline will carry natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. Afghanistan will earn nearly $400 million in transit fee. The pipeline will traverse 134 kilometers area through Kandahar, Helmand, Farah and Herat provinces.
The project would cost around $8 billion, according to some international sources. Turkmenistan has already pledged meeting 85 percent of the project cost.
Courtesy: Pajhwok
