Web Desk
Pakistan and Turkmenistan signed a joint implementation plan in Islamabad on Thursday to execute the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.
The signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a delegation from Turkmenistan, led by Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma’a. State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik and Turkmenistan’s State Minister and Chairman of TurkmenGas, Maskat Babayev, inked the accord.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed confidence that the TAPI gas pipeline project would bring about regional cooperation, development, and prosperity. He emphasized the significance of the project for the development of the four countries and the region.
Highlighting the importance of energy options for developing countries like Pakistan, Sharif called for swift actions to explore energy alternatives. He directed his team to expedite the planning and execution of the TAPI project. Sharif also expressed Pakistan’s readiness to expand relations and enhance cooperation with Turkmenistan in various areas.
The TAPI project entails the construction of a 1,680-kilometer pipeline with a 56-inch diameter, capable of carrying 3.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of gas. The pipeline will stretch from Turkmenistan, passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan, up to the Pakistan-India border.
According to the TAPI agreement, Pakistan and India will each receive 1.325 bcfd of gas, while Afghanistan will receive 0.5 bcfd.
