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Work Begins on Afghan Section of the TAPI Gas Pipeline

Turkmenistan and Afghanistan have now begun construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline. To mark the launch of work on the pipeline’s Serhetabat-Herat section, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Prime Minister of the Taliban-led Afghan government, attended a ceremony at a checkpoint on the Turkmen-Afghan border on September 11. The staged installation of the TAPI pipeline, already completed in Turkmenistan, will eventually transfer 33 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas annually to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. At an estimated cost of $10 billion, the TAPI pipeline will span 1,814 kilometers. With 816 kilometers running through Afghanistan, the project will meet the country's gas needs, generating around $450 million in annual transit fees, before continuing on to Quetta and Multan in Pakistan and Fazilka in India. Gas-rich Turkmenistan currently exports natural gas to China and Russia but once completed, the TAPI project will enable the country to diversify its export routes and help realize far-reaching plans to transport its gas across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Europe. Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund stated that the commencement of work on the TAPI project on Afghan soil would strengthen relations between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, whilst speaking from Ashgabat via videoconferencing, Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, announced, "The commencement of the TAPI project [on the Afghan territory] and other projects is beneficial not only for Afghanistan but also for the countries in the region." In addition to TAPI, the ceremony opened a 177-meter-long railway bridge at the Turkmen-Afghan border on Serhetabat-Turgundi railroad, launched the construction of the Serhetabat-Herat (Afghanistan) fiber-optic communication line, a warehouse complex in the dry port of the Turgundi railway station at the Turkmen-Afghan border, and the Turgundi-Sanabar section of the Turgundi-Herat railway. The event also marked the commission of the Nur-el-Jahad power plant in Afghanistan's Herat province, as part of the first phase of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power transmission line project.

Turkmenistan and Iran to Expand Cooperation in Natural Gas and Transport

On August 28, the chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan, the country's former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, visited Iran and held talks with the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran’s Press TV news agency quoted Pezeshkian as describing four memorandums of understanding signed during Berdimuhamedov’s visit as “strategic,” saying that a document signed between Iran's state gas companies and Turkmenistan will turn Iran into a regional gas transfer hub. No details of the document have been released. Turkmen media reported that Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proposed implementing joint projects with Iranian companies to increase the volume of gas supply to Iran to 40 billion cubic meters per year. The Turkmen side also reported that the talks in Tehran discussed exporting Turkmen electricity to Iran. Concerning cooperation in the transport sector, Berdimuhamedov urged increasing cargo transportation along the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway route, while the Iranian president proposed increasing cargo flows along the Armenia-Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan route. Turkmenistan and Iran have agreed to start negotiations for a comprehensive deal on transportation issues. The talks, expected to kick off next month, will be part of an intergovernmental committee chaired by Iran’s transportation minister.

Turkish Vice President: Turkmen Gas Supplies Via Turkey Will Help Ensure Energy Security in Europe

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz has said that Turkmen gas supplies through Turkey will contribute to the country's national welfare and ensure Europe's energy security. This was said during his speech at the informal summit of member states of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Azerbaijan. "The transportation of trans-Caspian resources, especially Turkmen natural gas, to Turkey and Europe will contribute to our national welfare and security. We are pleased with establishing an energy mechanism within the framework of the OTG and the publication of contact projects," Yılmaz said. According to him, the Organization will further strengthen ties between Turkic states as the world's economic centers of gravity change and the importance of Turkic geography increases. "The work that will be done in our countries to develop the Middle Corridor will both strengthen our cooperation and show the global role of the Turkic world," the Vice President emphasized.

Turkmen Gas To Be Supplied To Turkey Via Azerbaijan And Georgia

An agreement has been reached on the transportation of natural gas from Turkmenistan to Turkey via Azerbaijan and Georgia. This deal was announced by Turkey's minister of energy and natural resources Alparslan Bayraktar. Chronicles of Turkmenistan report that Bayraktar met with Azerbaijani economy minister Mikail Jabbarov in Istanbul on May 14, after which the parties signed an agreement on increasing the capacity of several gas pipelines. Turkey's energy ministry said the deal would ensure that additional gas volumes from Azerbaijan and the Caspian region would be delivered to Turkey and Europe by 2030, although the exact volumes have yet to be announced. Bayraktar did not explain how the gas would be delivered from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan. There is currently no progress in the construction of a trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which would allow direct deliveries of raw materials. It is most probably a swap scheme of supplies through Iran -- this is how Turkmenistan exported gas to Azerbaijan from 2022 to 2024. However, in January 2024, exports were suspended because Ashgabat and Baku failed to agree on the volume and price of gas. Since then, neither side has reported resumption of supplies. Some experts believe that Azerbaijan re-exported Turkmen gas to Europe, mixing it with its own, and the reason for the cessation of purchases was the decline in gas prices on the European market, which made its resale unprofitable for Baku.