Kazakhstan has proposed joining the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project with a stake of up to 30 per cent, but has not yet received a reply from existing participants, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on Tuesday, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Kazakh presidential residence during the Turkmen president’s state visit, Akkenzhenov said that an official request had already been sent to shareholders of the project operator.
“We are awaiting a response. There have been no responses thus far. We have raised the issue at a high-level meeting, and we are awaiting a response from the Turkmenistan side. There is nothing yet on when a response would be given.” he added.
Kazakhstan first signalled interest in joining TAPI at the Kazakhstan–Afghanistan Business Forum in October 2024 and began talks with Turkmenistan soon after.
“If a Kazakh company joins the project, then it would open new prospects for cooperation between our countries in the gas sector,” Akkenzhenov said at the time.
The proposed TAPI pipeline will run 1,814 kilometres – 214 km through Turkmenistan, 774 km through Afghanistan and 826 km through Pakistan to the border with India. It is designed to transport 33 billion cubic metres of gas each year from the Galkynysh field in southern Turkmenistan, which has estimated reserves of 27.4 trillion cubic metres.
The route would pass through Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan, Quetta and Multan in Pakistan, and terminate in Fazilka in western India.
Turkmengaz holds an 85 per cent stake in TAPI Pipeline Company, the project operator. Afghan Gas Corporation, Pakistan’s Inter State Gas Systems and India’s GAIL each hold 5 per cent.
Preliminary estimates place the total project cost at $10 billion.
