ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkmenistan on Tuesday signed the final version of the Host Government Agreement on Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline network in Islamabad.
The agreement was signed by the Secretary Petroleum Mian Asad Hayauddin and Chief Executive of TPCL Amanov.
According to a statement released from the ministry, Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Mr.R. Meredov, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan reiterated Pakistan’s commitment for an early and successful implementation of the TAPI project.
He praised the current state of friendly bilateral relations between both the countries and expressed his satisfaction on the relations being expanded into fields such as technology.
The Turkmen foreign minister appraised the minster of his government’s initiatives in ensuring that the timelines of the project were being met.
He appreciated the fact that the HGA had been signed through mutual agreement and consensus and welcomed Pakistan’s continued commitment and active interest in the TAPI gas project.
Meredov appreciated the strong support being received by Pakistan towards the TAPI gas pipeline project. The Turkmen minister discussed with the Pakistani delegation his government’s plan to make transport and energy corridor between Pakistan and Turkmenistan via Afghanistan and to lay an optic fiber network parallel to the route of the pipeline and see its possible extension till China.
He termed Pakistan as a brotherly country which holds a significant place in Turkmenistan’s global outlook.
TAPI gas pipeline project aims to bring natural gas from the Gylkynish and adjacent gas fields in Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The ADB is acting as the facilitator and coordinator for the project. It is proposed to lay a 56-inch diameter 1,680 KM pipeline with design capacity of 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per annum (Bcfd) from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan up to Pak-India border.
There are two phases of this projectly, the first phase is free flow phase with estimated cost of $5 to 6 bn. While second phase is installation of compressor stations with the cost of $1.9 to 2 bn. Civil works of the project have already commenced in Afghanistan after the project’s ground breaking (Afghan section) was held last year.
Both, Turkmenistan and Pakistan resolved to hold the steering committee meeting of the project in March 2019.The tenders relating to this project will analyzed in next 2 months. The construction equipment will be procured in May 2019.
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