Turkmenistan, India discuss TAPI gas pipeline project today
13 Oct 2011
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan and India will commence bilateral talks in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss issues related to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
Turkmen government sources said the Ashgabat delegation is headed by Turkmen petroleum and mineral resources minister, Bairamgeldy Nedirov.
The discussions will centre on the purchase of Turkmen gas and terms of contract.
The contract is expected to be inked later this month.
Turkmen government sources said negotiations on fuel price have been frequently held between Turkmenistan and potential customers Pakistan and India.
The project is actively promoted by the Asian Development Bank, which financed the feasibility study for the project.
An intergovernmental agreement on the TAPI project is the basic document for fulfilling the project. The agreement was signed in Ashgabat in December 2010.
The TAPI pipeline will be 17,000 kilometres in length and have a capacity of shipping 33 billion cubic metres of natural gas on an annual basis. It is estimated that construction will cost between $7-8 billion.
