Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan pipeline / Energy industry

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The Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan pipeline (Abk. TAP), in the anglo-saxon area also Trans Afghanistan pipeline, is a natural gas transport system, that under the leadership of the asiatic development bank (AsEB; 1966 based, with now 64 member states; the largest portions Japan holds) to be projected and built is.

Process and transportation

The pipeline is to lead natural gas of Turkmenistan at the Kaspi sea by Afghanistan to ports at the Indian ocean in Pakistan; the costs of their building amount according to estimations to 3.5 billion US Dollar. The TAP is to run according to the plans along the freeway from Herat to Kandahar in Afghanistan and over Quetta and Multan in Pakistan. On the basis of the promotion fields around Dauletabad in Turkmenistan in the final development the pipeline annually 30 billion cubic meter gas long is to transport scarcely 1700 kilometers. - Proponents see a modern continuation of the old silk road in the project. The gas occurrences in Dauletabad become estimated on 1.756.600.000.000 cubic meters (2002). 830 kilometers of the TAP are to run in Afghanistan, about 400 km in Pakistan.

The project and the hurdles

The contract over the pipeline, about which with (allegedly) the fallen Taliban regime had already negotiated, was signed on 27 December 2002 by the heads of state Turkmenistans, of Afghanistan and of Pakistan. The conclusion of a contract was made possible by the US invasion in Afghanistan in the year before. The Afghan government is to therefore receive eight per cent of the incomes; the operators promise themselves 12,000 new jobs in the economically down-lying, of the war devastated country. Nevertheless the conversion of the building project is at present as far as possible put on ice: The work on the section running by Turkmenistan is to be taken up 2006, the execution of the entire project stands however for arrangement, because the southern section of the pipeline would run by areas, which are still in fact under control of the Taliban and the terrorist organization aluminium-Qaida.

1998 had been suspended plans for a by far more extensive project with approximately same process, after the US company Unocal (then lobbyists: among other things Henry Kissinger and Richard Armitage) its participation in that had withdrawn 1997 formed cent gas consortium at a value of 8 billion dollar (). Turkmenistan concentrated in the subsequent years on business with Russian energy enterprises such as LUKOil.

"It's the oil, stupid": Were the TAP the reason for

For numerous critics of the Bush government the Trans Afghanistan Pakistan pipeline is the actual reason for the military intervention and the continuous operational readiness level of the United States in Afghanistan. The building answering for Asian development bank already was because of corruption suspicion article of determinations of the U.S. of senates Committee on Foreign Affairs ().

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think tank, estimated 1999 the Erdgasvorkommen in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Usbekistan and in the transkaukasischen Azerbaijan together at at least nine quintillion cubic meters. Therefore the oil reserves in the centralasiatic region amount to approx. 15 trillion barrel. In addition, - for completely Asia - strategically central the Afghanistan has enormous energy reserves: During their crew time the Soviets numbered the Erdgasvorkommen of the country on nearly two quintillion cubic meters. The oil deposits became estimated from Soviet experts on 95 million barrel (a barrel corresponds 159 litre). In addition approximately 70 million tons of coal come in the area between Herat and Badaschkan.

The Iran Pakistan India pipeline: Competition or

Between the states involved is agreed upon meanwhile also on 2775 the kilometers projected (in the comparison to the TAP more expensive) Iran Pakistan India pipeline (IPI; "peace pipeline" called), those between 2009 and 2011 in enterprise to be euphemistisch also taken is (,). This project is regarded however by the USA with suspicions (,), since a direct co-operation with the "rogue state" Iran seems impossible at present. Pakistan and India however want itself according to estimate of observers on a only one - besides US-controlled - support leg not leave. Although it seemed in such a way in September 2005, as if come it to discord between Iran and India, which had tuned Iran on the IAEO council meeting for European Union resolution for the condemnation because of its atomic program, the negotiations were resumed over the Gas-Pipeline at the end of of Decembers in new Delhi on vice-Minister level (). According to medium data the contract has a volume of 40 billion dollar. - As an oil supplier Iran for over a billion the Indian is already for years of great importance, as in the rest of also for China.

A third pipeline is to lead from Myanmar across Bangladesh to India. Also it was in principle decided thing; with the building still 2005 should be begun. According to observers it is a goal of the government in new Delhi, everything in front the oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar of creating a transasiatisches gas net itself - under decided integration of the once times rival China - from Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia extended. However it seemed to have come here to the turn of the year 2005/2006 by agreements of Chinese companies with Myanmar to serious setbacks (see,)

After however of India participation in the TAP seemed uncertain for many years, the Trans Afghanistan Pakistan pipeline is regarded now nevertheless as crucial for the covering of the rapidly growing power requirement on the Subkontinent (see,). Whether however one is realized still 2002 considered, 640 kilometers long extension to India, is at present (at the beginning of of 2006) unclear. As LNG (Liquefied Natural gas) anyhow - dependent on its import in particular Japan is, so long a pipeline from western Kazakhstan to Xinjiang (China) and gfs. further to the Pacific coast unmachbar appears, particularly from economic (it would be too expensive), in addition, for political reasons (Xinjiang is considered as potentially rebellious province) - is turkmenisches and gfs. later also Afghan natural gas from ports of Pakistan to completely east and Southeast Asia to be shipped. The imported goods of liquid gas by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan make already at present (conditions: 2005) nearly 80 per cent of the global LNG trade out.

Background: Energy consumption and - resources in the coming 25 years

The efforts for the Sicherstellung of the power supply by the building of new pipelines must before the background of the consumption prognoses for 21. Century to be seen. 2004 warned the international energy agency (IEA) before world-wide a dramatically rising energy consumption and a ever larger dependence on the oil producers. The IEA study "world energy view 2004" according to enterprises and private households need presumably 59 per cent more energy up to the year 2030. Without a politics policy these also in the far future to 85 per cent from coal, oil and gas one win. Two thirds of the prognosticated consumption increase went on the account from developing countries, in particular China and India. The gas consumption will double itself world-wide to 2030, so the IEA. - Still in the year 1993 the portion of the natural gas of the power supply of India amounted to only 4 per cent; it is to be assumed that that this portion rises precipitously, should the pipeline projects discussed here into the act be converted.