Officials from the Mines and Petroleum department in Herat said on Tuesday that they plan to establish a gas power plant near the industrial area in the city using the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project’s gas.

They also said TAPI project construction will start in the next two months.

“In the next two months, the TAPI project’s implementation will start in Afghanistan. The first step, the gas of the project will be used in Herat’s industrial town and then will be used in houses,” Ziaullhaq Popal, director of Herat mines and petroleum department said.

Meanwhile, a number of members of Herat’s provincial council said after the implementation of the TAPI project, the number of factories in Herat’s industrial town will increase.

“The main problem for our factory owners is power. TAPI project can resolve this problem,” Wakil Ahmad Karokhi, a member of the council said.

Herat governor’s spokesperson Jilani Farhad, meanwhile, said Herat security forces will maintain the security of the project in the province.

“There is no serious problem in the way of the implementation of TAPI project. In the meantime, necessary steps like recruitment of employees for the implementation of the project have been taken,” said Farhad.

TAPI pipeline project has the capacity to transfer 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually. The pipeline will be 1,800km long, of which 147km will cross Turkmenistan, 735km will run through Afghanistan’s Herat, Farah, Helmand and Kandahar provinces, and 800km through Pakistan and then on to India.

Afghanistan will earn $400 million USD for the transit of gas to Pakistan and India annually.