The TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline construction works have begun in Pakistan.
The TAPI pipeline is a 1,814-km long natural gas pipeline project, that aims to transport 90 mcm/d of gas from Turkmenistan's Galkynysh field (which has 453 bcm of gas reserves) to Afghanistan (14 mcm/d), Pakistan and India (38 mcm/d each). The project consortium consists of Turkmengaz (85%), GAIL India, Pakistan's ISGS and Afghan Gas Enterprise (5% each).
The TAPI gas pipeline will enable landlocked Turkmenistan to diversify its gas export markets to the southeast. Construction officially started at the end of 2015 and commissioning was initially expected in 2018 but the project is estimated to be commissioned in 2020 at the earliest.
Of the total, US$15bn will be poured into developing the gas field whereas US$10bn will be injected into laying the pipeline. Turkmenistan will invest 85% of the project’s cost.