January 29, 2026 - A 91-km stretch of the Turkmenistan Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline route running from Turkmenistan to the oasis city of Herat in northwestern Afghanistan has been prepared for pipe installation, Herat province officials said on January 27. 

Turkmen officials indicated that, under the current operational plan, work on the pipeline within Herat province should be finished by the end of the year. 

Achieving regular gas deliveries to Afghanistan would be a major boost to Turkmenistan. The 1,800-km project is to draw natural gas from one of the world’s largest natural gas fields, Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh. Approximately 816 km of the pipeline would run through Afghan territory. 

Herat Governor Shaikh Mawlawi Islam Jar recently met with Beganj Abdullayev, the TAPI project lead for Afghanistan, and the consul general of Turkmenistan to review the construction timeline. 

Mohammad Yousuf Syedi, a spokesperson for the governor, was cited by local press as saying the provincial administration was satisfied with the current momentum of the project. 

The TAPI pipeline could carry 33bn cubic metres of natural gas annually at full capacity.