Turkmenistan seeks investors for gas pipeline

Monday, July 30, 2012 - Ashgabat—Turkmenistan said on Saturday that it would try to recruit international investors for a new gas pipeline project that would link Central and South Asia.

The energy-rich state plans to pitch the project to international oil and gas majors and financial institutions in the autumn, the Neitralny Turkmenistan newspaper reported.

The plan for a TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) natural gas pipeline is backed by the Asian Development Bank.

Deputy Prime Minister Yagshygeldi Kakayev announced plans on Friday for “a series of meetings with representatives of leading international oil and gas companies and financial institutions,” the news report said.

He said the meetings planned for September and October would discuss “questions concerning the financing of the TAPI project and the creation of a consortium.”

“A presentation of the TAPI project is planned to be held in Singapore, New York and London, which are major business and financial centres of southeastern Asia, America and Europe,” the newspaper said.

The report said that all the countries involved in the project, plus the Asian Development Bank, would take part in the presentations.—AFP