Afghanistan section: TAPI's groundbreaking ceremony to be held in February

President Mamnoon Hussain is likely to attend groundbreaking ceremony regarding Afghanistan section of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project scheduled to be held next month, source said. The President of Turkmenistan invited the President of Pakistan to witness the groundbreaking ceremony with respect to Afghanistan section of TAPI gas pipeline project scheduled to be held in February 2018 at Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border.
The Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) also reportedly stated on Wednesday that Afghanistan is ready to roll out its share of TAPI pipeline project in February.
The sources in the Petroleum Division said that Afghanistan side has made all necessary arrangements in terms of security and other facilities for implementation of the project and the areas the pipeline is expected to run through have also been finalized.
The 1,735km long pipeline has the capacity to transfer 33 billion cubic meter of gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India through Heart, Farah, Helmand and Nimroz provinces of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is expected to receive $500 million in transit duties annually from the project. Ending in the Indian town of Fazilka, the pipeline will be constructed alongside the Kandahar-Herat Highway in western Afghanistan and then via Quetta and Multan in Pakistan.
The sources said that Saudi Arabia is showing interest in making considerable investment in gas pipeline construction. The funds were allocated by the Saudi Development Bank for the TAPI project.
The project will transport 33 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. For the construction of TAPI gas pipeline, a consortium - TAPI Pipeline Company Limited - was established and the Turkmengaz State Concern was elected as the leader.
The main hurdles to the project's implementation are financing and security issues. The Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Japanese government have expressed their interest in funding TAPI. The Islamic Development Bank has already allocated a loan worth $700 million for Turkmenistan to construct its section of pipeline.