Herat section of Afghanistan's TAPI pipeline reaches 80% completion

Construction of the Herat section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline has reached close to 80% completion, the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said in a statement, Bakhtar News Agency reported on September 15.

The project is the largest energy infrastructure scheme under way in Afghanistan and is intended to carry Turkmen natural gas across Afghan territory to markets in South Asia. Afghanistan's Taliban administration has made the pipeline a centrepiece of its efforts to draw in transit revenues and regional investment.

Of the roughly 153 kilometres of pipeline route running through Herat province, 150.3 kilometres have been prepared for pipe laying, putting progress on that part of the work at 98%, according to the ministry.

So far, 122.3 kilometres of pipe have been welded and installed, representing close to 80% of the work in the province. Of that total, 71.5 kilometres of pipe have been buried underground.

Hydrotesting has been completed on 33 kilometres of pipe to verify quality, safety and compliance with technical standards for the line, the ministry said.

Work on access and monitoring roads linked to the pipeline is also advancing, with 134.2 kilometres of road built and completed to date.

Design work on a gas distribution network for Herat province is under way, and construction is expected to begin in the near future, the ministry added.

The ministry said the distribution network would deliver gas transported through the TAPI pipeline to industrial, commercial and residential areas of Herat, meeting energy needs while creating conditions for economic activity and industrial development in the province.