The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Turkmenistan expects to create the conditions for natural gas supplies to Pakistan through the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India, or TAPI, pipeline to begin in 2027, its ambassador to Pakistan said.
Ambassador Atajan Movlamov said construction of the strategically
important Serhetabat-Herat section of the pipeline is expected to be completed
this year. He made the remarks at the Ambassadors’ Dinner 2026, hosted by the
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Islamabad, according to the Turkmen
Embassy in Pakistan.
The ambassador said completing the section would create the
necessary conditions for natural gas supplies to Afghanistan in 2027, while
Turkmenistan has also said the broader project is intended to supply Pakistan
and India. The embassy said TAPI and other regional energy projects could help
provide more reliable energy supplies and support Pakistan’s industrial
development and economic growth.
The TAPI pipeline is planned to stretch about 1,800
kilometers from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field through Afghanistan to
Pakistan and India, with a designed capacity of up to 33 billion cubic meters
of gas a year. Turkmenistan completed its section of the pipeline in 2024,
while construction of the 153-kilometer Serhetabat-Herat section in Afghanistan
began in September 2024.
The project’s Afghan section is a key step toward connecting
Turkmenistan’s gas reserves with energy markets in South Asia. Turkmenistan’s
TAPI Pipeline Company said in 2025 that it aimed to complete construction of
the Afghan section by the end of 2026 and begin gas supplies by late 2026 or
early 2027.
The gas for TAPI will come from the Galkynysh field, one of
the world’s largest natural gas deposits. Turkmenistan has continued developing
the field to increase production capacity.
The long-delayed TAPI project is viewed by Turkmenistan as a
major route for diversifying its gas exports and strengthening economic ties
among the four participating countries. For Pakistan, the pipeline could
provide an additional source of natural gas for its energy and industrial
sectors.
However, the project still requires completion of
infrastructure across Afghanistan and Pakistan and the implementation of
agreements needed for gas transportation and investment. Turkmenistan’s latest
statement sets out a target for 2027 rather than confirming that gas deliveries
to Pakistan will begin on a specific date.
