In Herat, construction on the TAPI pipeline is advancing, raising questions about when local businesses and households might receive its gas. TOLOnews, citing Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, reported that nearly 25 kilometres of pipeline had been laid, with more of the route prepared for construction.

For Afghan consumers, the practical questions concern supply: who will receive the gas, at what price, and through which distribution network? These questions deserve as much attention as construction milestones.

TAPI and CASA-1000 could give Afghanistan a stronger role in regional energy trade. The challenge is to secure domestic gains from projects whose commercial logic extends well beyond its borders.

Two corridors, different purposes

TAPI is intended to carry Turkmen gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. The Asian Development Bank describes a planned capacity of up to 33 billion cubic metres annually—a target for the completed project, rather than an existing flow.

Reuters reported in February 2026 that Turkmenistan expected to complete the first section to Herat by year-end. Herat is only the first stage of a much longer route. Financing, commercial agreements and relations between participating countries will determine whether the pipeline reaches its intended markets in Pakistan and India.

CASA-1000 follows a different model, transmitting seasonal surplus hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan. Its planned capacity of 1,300 megawatts refers to the transmission system, rather than electricity available to Afghan consumers. The seasonal nature of supply also limits its contribution to year-round energy security.

According to the World Bank’s January........

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