Hamidullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, has announced that a memorandum of understanding on the purchase of gas for the TAPI pipeline project has been signed between the state-owned Afghan Gas Company and Turkmenistan’s Turkmenneft in Torghundi, Herat Province.
According to Fitrat, the memorandum was signed at a ceremony attended by Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the National Leader of Turkmenistan.
Under the memorandum, the price of gas, Afghanistan’s requirements, and the mechanism for its distribution are to be determined. Details concerning the purchase and supply of gas to Afghanistan will also be reviewed במסגרת this agreement.
The TAPI project is a pipeline designed to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. The project originates at Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field and will pass through Afghanistan and Pakistan before reaching India.
The TAPI project was first inaugurated in Turkmenistan in Qaws 1394 (December 2015). Later, in Hoot 1396 (February–March 2018), an inauguration ceremony for the project was held in Afghanistan’s Herat Province in the presence of the leaders of Afghanistan, India, and Turkmenistan.
Implementation of the project was halted after the Taliban returned to power. However, about a year ago, the Taliban resumed work on the project and inaugurated its implementation in Afghanistan.
The TAPI pipeline, with a diameter of 56 inches, will extend from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan to India, with a total length of approximately 1,814 kilometers.
According to the current plan, after entering Afghanistan, the pipeline will pass through the provinces of Herat, Nimroz, and Kandahar. It will then travel through Quetta and Multan in Pakistan before reaching Fazilka in India’s Punjab region.
The pipeline is expected to have an annual transmission capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas. Full implementation of the TAPI project could facilitate the transportation of Turkmen gas to the countries along the route and help meet part of their energy needs.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
