Turkmen deal boosts Afghan pipeline project

Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), May 23: Turkmenistan has signed a natural gas deal with Pakistan and India in a significant boost to the proposed construction of a 1,800-kilometre pipeline across Afghanistan.

Representatives from India's state-owned Gail Ltd and Pakistan's privately run Pakistan's Inter State Gas System travelled to Turkmenistan to formalise the deal today to receive gas through a pipeline projected to pump 90 million cubic metres a day.

Information on prices and the amount of gas to be purchased by specific nations has not been made public. With a sales deal in place, the challenge of building a gas route through dangerous territories remains.

AP