TAPI gas pipeline groundbreaking soon

Islamabad: Pakistani and Turkmen experts are set to meet next month to review arrangements and finalize modalities for groundbreaking of Pakistan-section of TAPI gas pipeline, scheduled to be performed in Chaman in October 2019.

According to an official of Petroleum division, a meeting between experts of the two countries is scheduled to be held in August.

He said Pakistan is determined to start practical work on its section of the multi-billion dollar Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project during the current year and complete it within the stipulated time frame.

Turkmenistan has already completed the construction work on its section, while the Afghanistan also performed groundbreaking of the project last year.

He said Pakistan had recently signed the Host Government Agreement with Turkmenistan and would lay gas pipeline on its section from Chaman to Multan via Quetta and Dera Ismail Khan.

Under the project, he said, a 56-inch diameter 1,680 kilometers pipeline, having capacity to flow 3.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) gas, would be laid from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan up to Pak-India border by the year 2020.

As per the TAPI agreement, Pakistan and India will be provided 1.325 bcfd (billion cubic feet per day) gas each and Afghanistan will be getting the share of 0.5 bcfd gas. The project is consisted of two phases.

In first phase, there will be free flow of gas in the pipeline which will be completed at an estimated cost of $ 5 to 6 billion, while in second phase compressor stations to be stalled at a cost of $ 1.9 to 2 billion.

Commenting on progress made on the project so far in Pakistan, he said, Technical Consultant of the project had been appointed and the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) had been completed.