Following recent meetings with Turkmenistan, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has stated that Malaysia is considering the possibility of participating in the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
At present, Turkmenistan is searching for investors into the pipeline project. Previously, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Quata and other countries has been asked to participate. However, due to geopolitical and economical risks related t the pipeline, many were unwilling.
However, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) showed interest in the pipeline, offering US$500 million in loans for the project.
As Malaysia’s been a long-term trading partner with Turkmenistan, there’s a reasonable prospect of the country being involved in the pipeline project.
The pipeline will transport 33 billion m3/y of natural gas over the length of 1814 km.
The project is scheduled for completion in late 2019.