Share this story!            

Kabul to clear mines on TAPI gasline route in 2 yrs

* Afghan govt to set up 1,000 industrial units along route after clearing landmines

By Zafar Bhutta

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan has informed Pakistan that it will clear all landmines from the proposed route of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline within two years, sources within the Pakistan Petroleum Ministry told Daily Times on Friday.

They said that the Afghan government had assured all stakeholders that the process to rid the area of landmines was already underway and would soon be completed. The Afghan government has also stressed that the proposed route of the pipeline would be freed of the influence of the Taliban, they added. The pipeline route, as defined by an international consultant, would pass through the west and southwest of Afghanistan, including the five provinces of Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand and Kandhar, before reaching Pakistan.

Another 1,000: According to the sources, the Afghan government has said that it has already set up 300 industrial units near the route of the TAPI gas pipeline and would set up a further 1,000 industrial units by clearing landmines.

Turkmenistan is expected to present a gas reserves certification to all stakeholders within the next month. It claims gas reserves of 80 billion cubic metres (BCM) per year. The Government of Turkmenistan has conveyed to all stakeholders that they would be provided with at least 30 BCM annually from the project for the lifetime of the project.

According to official sources, the gas pricing formula for the TAPI gas pipeline may follow the formula adopted for the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline deal, which has been linked to Japan Crude Cocktail.

The sources claimed that talks on TAPI had slowed down due to a hike in oil prices in the international market. They said that the stakeholders were currently observing the international market to gauge the link between oil and gas price hikes.

Home | National

Share this story!