The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline has reached the outskirts of the Afghan city of Herat, Turkmenistan says, reported UA.News, citing OilPrice.com.
Satellite images from November 7 show the pipeline running from Turkmenistan’s southern border to a construction site about 22 km west of Herat’s industrial district. The site appears to match a planned gas offtake station described earlier by the Taliban authorities. At an energy forum in Ashgabat in late October, officials said the first Afghan section would be commissioned by the end of 2026. According to Ashgabat, the section to Herat costs $600 million.
TAPI is planned to run about 1,800 km and cost up to $10 billion. Under the original plan, Afghanistan would take about 5% of the gas, with Pakistan and India splitting the rest equally. Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkmenistan, Faryal Leghari, said Islamabad is determined to advance the project. Analyst John Roberts of the Atlantic Council said extending the line toward Kandahar and Pakistan may require Chinese financial support. Afghanistan has offered Russia a chance to invest.
First proposed in the 1990s, TAPI has long been seen as unrealistic because of war in Afghanistan and India–Pakistan tensions. Regional energy disruptions linked to the war in Iran have renewed Pakistan’s interest. If extended, the pipeline could earn Kabul hundreds of millions of dollars a year in transit fees and give Turkmenistan its first southern export route.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
November 12, 2026