Afghanistan announced on Wednesday that work is set to begin on the long-anticipated $10 billion TAPI gas pipeline, a major infrastructure project linking South and Central Asia. The announcement was made as Afghan officials joined dignitaries in neighboring Turkmenistan to mark the completion of the Turkmenistan section of the pipeline.
The TAPI pipeline—named after the four countries it will traverse: Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India—has faced multiple delays, primarily due to security concerns in Afghanistan.
“Starting today, operations will commence on Afghan soil,” said Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid during a ceremony broadcast on Afghan state television. The event took place at the border town of Islim Cheshma in Turkmenistan, where Afghan Prime Minister Hassan Akhund and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow praised the project’s potential.
“This project will not only boost the economies of the participating nations but will also benefit the entire region,” Berdimuhamedow said during a live video broadcast at the ceremony.
In Afghanistan’s Herat province, where the pipeline will pass, authorities declared a public holiday to celebrate the milestone. Posters promoting the significance of the pipeline were displayed throughout Herat city.
Once operational, the TAPI pipeline will transport 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field, one of the world’s largest. The pipeline will stretch 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles), passing through Afghanistan’s Herat and Kandahar provinces before crossing into Pakistan’s Balochistan and ending in Fazilka, Indian Punjab.
Of the gas delivered, Pakistan and India will each receive 42%, with Afghanistan obtaining 16%. Afghanistan will also benefit from transit fees, estimated at around $500 million per year, according to Afghan media reports.
Construction began in Turkmenistan in 2015, with the Afghan section originally scheduled to start in 2018. However, persistent security challenges delayed the project’s progress. Additionally, India’s involvement has faced scrutiny due to its strained relations with Pakistan and access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) from other sources.
Despite these hurdles, the project offers significant benefits, particularly for Afghanistan. In addition to economic gains, TAPI is expected to create around 12,000 jobs in Afghanistan, according to Mujahid. Furthermore, the project was used as a platform to launch several other bilateral initiatives, including a fiber-optic line, an electricity link, and the inauguration of a new railway bridge connecting Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Though the pipeline’s completion date remains uncertain, with some analysts predicting further delays due to financing and construction challenges, the project represents a significant opportunity for the Taliban government, which took control in 2021. The pipeline is seen as a crucial part of Afghanistan’s broader effort to position itself as a key player in regional energy cooperation between Central and South Asia.
Beyond TAPI, Afghanistan is seeking to revive other ambitious projects in energy, mining, and infrastructure. In July, the Taliban government relaunched a major copper extraction project near Kabul in partnership with China, aiming to tap into the world’s second-largest copper deposit after years of stagnation.
As Afghanistan continues to navigate economic sanctions from the West, projects like TAPI are critical to the country’s development ambitions and its integration into regional trade and energy networks.