CNPC is ready to render assistance to Turkmenistan in building the gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) and the Trans-Caspian pipeline, Li Shuliang, CEO of CNPC International Turkmenistan (CNPC subsidiary), said speaking at the international conference “Oil and gas in Turkmenistan-2017” which was held in Ashgabat on 2-4 November.
“We are ready to help Turkmenistan to build the TAPI pipeline as well as implement the TransCaspian gas pipeline project”, — EnergoReforma reports quoting Li Shuliang.
Li Shuliang reminded that China is the major importer of the Turkmen natural gas.
Speaking at the forum, acting chairperson of the holding “Turkmengas” Myrat Archayev in his turn highlighted that three sections of the gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China are currently in operation, which allows Turkmenistan to export 40 billion cm to China on an annual basis.
According to him, the fourth section is scheduled to be constructed to increase the gas pipeline capacity to China up to 65 billion cubic meters a year. This section will be constructed along the new route: Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan-China.
Let us recall that in May 2017, during the gas congress in Avaza it was that TAPI would be commissioned in 2020.However, in September 2017 Maksat Babaev, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan’ government overseeing oil and gas sector announced that the commissioning of the pipeline is scheduled to take place in 2019.
On 19 October Afghanistan state that TAPI will reach the border of Afghanistan by January 2018 despite the fact that June was the previously announced deadline.
CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) is China-based oil and gas corporation, which has been operating in Turkmenistan for 10 years.