The acting minister of economy says the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan–Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline needs an investment of $12 billion within the war-torn country, Afghanistan. The government is looking for parties interested in joining the project.
The project was formally inaugurated on March 2, 2018 by the Afghan president and his Turkmen counterpart, as well as Pakistani and Indian prime ministers.
The 1,800 km pipeline aims to export up to 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Mustafa Mastoor, the economy minister, shared with the Wolesi Jirga — lower house of parliament — information about implementation of the TAPI project.
Sher Mohammad Akhunzada, a lawmaker from Helmand province, told the minister: “Please provide us information when this project will start. If the current situation continues, we will not see the project completed even in 30 years.”
He said a number of major projects were only on papers and inaugurated many times, but practical work on them was yet to start.
The government had spent millions of Afghanis in different provinces for the launch of TAPI, but work on it had not started so far, he stated.
In response, Mastoor said initial work on the project began during the Taliban regime. But its implementation inside Afghanistan required $9 billion to $12 billion investment.
The government was waiting for the parties interested in investment in the scheme, he said, adding: “A number of American companies in the past were interested in investing, but Ashgabat opposed the idea and said Turkmen firms would invest in the project inside Afghanistan.
“Turkmenistan is currently facing with economic problems and lost interest in investment in the project,” he said.
Work on the project in India, Turkmenistan and Pakistan has been completed. Once Afghanistan did its part, the supply of gas would be facilitated, he said.
“In order to complete the technical work on the project, we are waiting for investors,” the minister added.
Mir Rahman Rahmani, Wolesi Jirga speaker, asked economy, budget and audit commissions of the lower house to assess TAPI project and find reasons for the delay in practical work on it.