Security concerns over TAPI gas project need to be addressed: Akbaruddin

India has said the ambitious TAPI gas pipeline brings with it both reward and risk and the genuine regional security concerns associated with the USD 10 billion trans-national project should be heeded and addressed sincerely.

The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project seeks to build connectivity in the South and Central Asian regions through gas pipelines and will help ease energy shortages in South Asia.

The project is "a dove of peace and hope" that may have to traverse through storms, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said, referring to the restive regions in Afghanistan and Pakistan through which the pipeline passes.

He stressed on the responsibility of the nations in protecting it from "turbulence with all our will and capacity".

"Visionary concepts, at times, also invite great challenges. Large investments demand care and caution. Safety of the transnational pipeline and assured supply of gas is vital," he said at a side-event on the TAPI gas pipeline held on the margins of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development yesterday.

The 1,814 kilometre-long brings both reward and risk, he said.

"We should not be oblivious to the genuine security concerns that are associated with such an ambitious project in the region that we live in. These need to be factored in and addressed in a sincere manner," he said.

Akbaruddin expressed hope that the larger collective interest of nations will help strengthen political will and commitment to this ambitious project and "help build bridges in the region".

Turkmenistan, which sits on the world's fourth-largest gas reserves, started building its section of the pipeline in December 2015.

The TAPI pipeline will have a capacity to carry 90 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd) gas for 30 years and is planned to become operational this year.

The project will bring clean fuel to the growing economies of India and Pakistan.

It will provide energy-hungry India gas to run its power plants.

Under the pipeline project, Pakistan and India will be provided 1.325 bcfd gas each and Afghanistan will be getting a share of 0.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) gas. The pipeline will not merely carry gas but also fibre optics and power.

Outlining India's massive energy needs to fuel its growth as the fastest growing large economy in the world, Akbaruddin said India's energy consumption was growing by 4.2 per cent annually.

It is estimated that between 2016 and 2040, India will be the largest contributor to global demand growth with about 30 per cent of the global energy growth needs stemming from India's requirements, he said.

He said international partnerships will be required to deliver reliable, sustainable, affordable energy sources that India wants and needs for its economic growth.

As natural gas is a cleaner form of energy with a relatively lesser carbon footprint, Akbaruddin said the TAPI gas pipeline will assist India's economy to grow in a relatively lower carbon intensive manner.

"TAPI is important for India as it completely integrates with our energy management goals. While the world's average share of gas in the energy basket is 23.8 per cent, India's is still only 6.5 per cent. Even if this ratio is to be maintained our requirements will increase substantially in coming years, and Turkmen gas through TAPI would be one of the important sources," he said.

Akbaruddin also noted that while many attempts have been made in the past to build gas pipelines in the South Asian region, the TAPI pipeline project is the one that has come the farthest.

"Such connectivity projects help the process of regional integration, especially among fellow developing countries where it is most needed. TAPI pipeline is also special since it links a landlocked developing country with neighbouring economies," he said.

Given that connectivity has a multiplier effect, Akbaruddin said the TAPI project was an opportunity for those partaking in this momentous venture to move towards the notion of shared prosperity.

The pipeline project will also go a long way in helping the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 7 in the region by improving reliable access to affordable energy to peoples and businesses, he said.