Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline

Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI)
A map of the proposed route of TAPI by the U.S. Energy Information Administration
Location
Country	Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan India
General direction	north–south
From	Galkynysh gas field, Turkmenistan
Passes through	Herat Kandahar Quetta Multan
To	Fazilka, India
Runs alongside	Kandahar–Herat Highway
General information
Type	Natural gas
Partners	Türkmengaz
Technical information
Length	1,814 km (1,127 mi)
Maximum discharge	33 billion cubic metres per annum (1.2 trillion cubic feet per annum)

The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI), also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. Construction on the project started in Turkmenistan on December 13th, 2015. The pipeline is expected to be operational by 2019. The abbreviation TAPI comes from the first letters of those countries. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road.

The roots of this project lie in the involvement of international oil companies in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan beginning of 1990s. As Russia, who controlled all export pipelines of these countries, consistently refusing to allow the use of its pipeline network, these companies needed an independent export route avoiding both Iran and Russia.

The original project started on 15 March 1995 when an inaugural memorandum of understanding between the governments of Turkmenistan and Pakistan for a pipeline project was signed. This project was promoted by Argentinian company Bridas Corporation. The U.S. company Unocal, in conjunction with the Saudi oil company Delta, promoted an alternative project without Bridas' involvement. On 21 October 1995, these two companies signed a separate agreement with Turkmenistan's president Saparmurat Niyazov. In August 1996, the Central Asia Gas Pipeline, Ltd. (CentGas) consortium for construction of a pipeline, led by Unocal, was formed. On 27 October 1997, CentGas was incorporated in formal signing ceremonies in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, by several international oil companies along with the Government of Turkmenistan.