Turkmen President Prioritizes Completion of TAPI’s First Phase by 2026

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has announced that 16 kilometers of the TAPI project pipeline have so far been laid inside Afghanistan, and nearly 100 kilometers are prepared for further pipeline installation.

The ministry expressed hope that by the end of the current Gregorian year, work on the Herat section of the project—spanning 153 kilometers—will be completed and put into operation.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has also said that completing the first phase of the TAPI gas project by the end of 2026 is a priority within the country’s energy programs.

Speaking to an Arab media outlet, Berdimuhamedow emphasized that Ashgabat welcomes the participation of international companies in the project.

Ezatullah Hamidi, an economic analyst, stated: “Afghanistan can optimally benefit from the TAPI project in three ways. First, through transit and taxes earned from the pipeline. Second, the project’s implementation will create job opportunities in the country. Third, and most importantly, Afghanistan can meet its domestic gas needs through this route.”

Work on the TAPI project dates back to the 1990s. The project has been delayed multiple times over more than two decades due to security, political, and financial challenges.

For the third time, the TAPI project was inaugurated on September 11, 2024 in Herat, with the participation of high-ranking officials from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.