Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, July 13 -- Turkmenistan and Afghanistan have agreed to cooperate on several energy-related projects, including revival of the long-mooted Trans-Afghan natural gas pipeline.
The two sides signed several agreements following talks between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who visited Turkmenistan July 5-6.
Berdymukhammedov said his country remains interested in the $2 billion project to build a gas line more than 1,460 km across Afghanistan to Pakistan and then to India. He said Turkmenistan would be ready to send 30 billion cu m/year of gas through the line.
The original plan was to deliver gas from Turkmenistan's Dauletabad field to Kandahar, Afghanistan; Multan in central Pakistan, and onward to India (OGJ Oct. 28, 2002, p. 47).
The two leaders also agreed to construct additional electric power lines and related infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].