BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 8. The
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline is
being re-anchored in regional energy discussions as a structured
export corridor, the Belfer Center for Science and International
Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School wrote, Trend reports.


In its analysis, the Belfer Center notes that TAPI is
increasingly viewed as a structured mechanism for regional energy
flows linking Turkmenistan’s gas resources with South Asian demand
centers.


The project is based on the development of Turkmenistan’s
Galkynysh gas field and is designed to transport up to 33 billion
cubic meters of natural gas annually through Afghanistan and
Pakistan to India. The center wrote, that this configuration
reinforces its role as a key planned export route in Eurasian
energy architecture.


According to the analysis, the renewed attention to TAPI
reflects broader reassessments of regional connectivity and energy
security frameworks, where the pipeline is positioned as a
long-term component of diversification strategies for Turkmenistan
and supply security for South Asia.


The center further highlights that Pakistan and India, each set
to receive 47.5% of the projected gas volumes, remain the principal
demand centers in the framework, reinforcing the project’s
strategic role in connecting Central Asian supply with South Asian
energy markets.







The report also highlights that Afghanistan’s 5% share is linked
primarily to its role as a transit state rather than a major
consumption market. At the same time, the arrangement is expected
to generate transit revenues for Afghanistan, which the analysis
links to a potential stabilizing economic effect through greater
integration into regional trade and energy flows.


The Galkynysh gas field is expected to remain the primary
upstream resource base for the TAPI pipeline, ensuring long-term
supply security for the project. In parallel, Turkmenistan and
China’s CNPC launched the fourth phase of development at the giant
field in April 2026, a project aimed at adding around 10 billion
cubic meters of additional annual production capacity. The
expansion is seen as part of Turkmenistan’s broader effort to
strengthen its gas output potential, which underpins both existing
export routes and prospective infrastructure such as TAPI.


In April, representative of Turkmengaz State Concern told
reporters, that Turkmenistan plans to construct a gas
processing plant with a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters of
marketable gas per year as part of the fourth phase of development
of the Galkynysh gas field.


He said the project will be implemented in partnership with
Chinese partners and will also include the drilling of 30
production wells and the construction of a range of industrial,
infrastructure, and social facilities. The total investment is
estimated at around $5 billion.