ASHGABAT, Nov 10: The construction of a proposed gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan across Afghanistan will start next year, despite continuing unrest in the region, an Afghan minister said on Thursday.

“January, in my opinion, will see the last meeting to found a consortium for the TAP (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline),” Afghan Minister for Mines and Industries Mir Mohammad Sadiq told Reuters in an interview.

Mr Sadiq said work would then start on a project that he estimated would cost $3.6 billion. He gave no estimate for a completion date for the pipeline or details on financing plans or likely consortium members.

The long-delayed project envisages a pipeline running 1,600 km and providing Turkmenistan with a new outlet for its gas, Afghanistan with transit revenue and Pakistan with much-needed energy.

Afghan President Khamid Karzai said last month that the project was “very real and feasible”.

Mr Sadiq said the planned pipeline would have enough gas supplies to run for 20 years at a rate of 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually. The line could be extended to India.

While concerns remain over security in Afghanistan, questions have also been asked about the size of Turkmenistan’s Daulatabad gas field slated to feed the pipeline with the fuel. The Asian Development Bank has said reserves information from Turkmenistan shows a lower-than-expected gas deliverability there.

“Turkmenistan’s reserves in Daulatabad are more than needed for Pakistan and India,” Mr Sadiq said. “The volume ... is enough for 20 years.”

Turkmenistan, which currently ships the bulk of its gas exports to Ukraine via a pipeline controlled by Russian gas giant Gazprom, says Daulatabad holds 1.7 trillion cubic metres of gas which makes it the world’s fourth largest.

It is still unclear who will form the pipeline consortium. Mr Sadiq said the ADB was providing results of Daulatabad’s international audit to all those interested in the project.—Reuters