The Tapi pipeline is projected to export up to 33bn m3 of natural gas a year from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India over 30 years. It was earlier scheduled to be operational in 2019 but, because of delays in achieving financial closure, the pipeline's first gas flows from Turkmenistan are now scheduled for 2020. The much delayed project was formally inaugurated on December 13, 2015.

The $10bn Tapi project is aimed to carry 33bn m³/yr of gas to the participant countries by 2021. Ashgabat has an 85% stake in the challenging project, which equates to one third of the country's total yearly budget.

The so-called TAP, which formally started construction in May, will run for 878 kilometers (550 miles) from Greece's border with Turkey, through Albania and to southern Italy, including a 105-kilometer (65-mile) stretch under the Adriatic Sea. First deliveries to Europe are expected in 2020.

“TAP is crucial in the diversification of gas sources in Europe through the development of the Southern Corridor from the Republic of Azerbaijan and potentially other countries,” said Carlo Malacarne, Snam’s chief executive officer.

Turkmenistan on Sunday began building its segment of a natural gas pipeline to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI), a $10 billion project designed to ease its dependence on Russia and China.

TAPI faces an uncertain future with the recent oil price fall, ambiguity regarding transit via Afghanistan and an increase in the estimated project cost.

The EU’s long term goal regarding energy security is to become independent from one single gas supplier, increasing competition by having diverse energy suppliers. For these reasons, the EU promotes the Southern Gas Corridor, a strategically important gas value-chain passing through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, and Albania, linking Caspian gas to Europe.