Turkmenistan’s major natural gas reserves allow the country to become a fuel supplier for the Nabucco and TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) projects, the Azerbaijani ambassador to Pakistan Dashgin Shikarov told Trend on Thursday.

"As is known, Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world for its gas reserves. Given this, no problem can arise regarding to the country participation in both projects," Shikarov said.

According to BP, Turkmenistan’s proven gas reserves amounted to 8.1 trillion cubic meters as of early 2010. Gas production in the country was 36.4 billion cubic meters in 2009, which is 1.2 percent more than in 2008.

Nabucco project envisages gas supplies from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU countries. The pipeline’s maximum capacity will hit 31 billion cubic meters per year. The pipeline’s construction is scheduled for 2012, while the first gas supplies via the pipeline are expected in 2017. The main suppliers for the Nabucco project are considered Azerbaijan, Iraq and Turkmenistan.

This 1735-km gas pipeline is planned to supply 33 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas from the Dovletabad deposit annually. The South Yolotan-Osman deposit could also serve as a raw materials base for the project. According to the project’s feasibility study, the TAPI gas pipeline will pass through Afghanistan’s Herat and Kandahar Provinces and Pakistan’s Quetta and Multan districts. Its final destination will be the Indian town of Fazilka on the border between Pakistan and India.

Shikarov said successful implementation of TAPI project, as well as IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) project, will become a very important event for Pakistan due to the fact that the country faces a huge energy crisis and now needs to help in this sphere.

He said TAPI project is important not only for Pakistan but also for Afghanistan and India, which are also experiencing significant lack of electricity.

Accoridng to Shikarov, implementation of this project primarily depends on stability in Afghanistan.