Construction of the Afghanistan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline has surpassed the halfway mark in Herat province, Taliban officials announced Tuesday, June 9.

Confirming the new milestone, Homaioon Afghan, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said 52% of the construction work in the Herat section is now complete.

The multibillion-dollar pipeline project is designed to transport energy across South and Central Asia while boosting regional cooperation and Afghanistan's transit revenues.

According to ministry data, workers have laid 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) of pipeline so far. This includes 36.3 kilometers that have already been installed underground, with preparations underway to bury an additional 51 kilometers.

To support the massive infrastructure push, crews have prepared 126 kilometers of land for pipeline installation and constructed 108 kilometers of service roads.

Supply lines also remain active, with Afghan noting that an additional 72.3 kilometers of pipeline have successfully been transported from Turkmenistan to the Afghan project site.

Officials from Turkmenistan have reportedly assured their Afghan counterparts that the entire 130-kilometer segment of the pipeline within Herat province will be finished by the end of 2026, marking a major milestone in the project’s implementation.

Once the Herat section is finalized, construction crews are scheduled to begin work on the pipeline in other provinces across Afghanistan.

The TAPI pipeline has long been envisioned as a critical economic artery for the region, aimed at linking energy-rich Turkmenistan with major markets in Pakistan and India via Afghan territory.

For Afghanistan's cash-strapped economy, the project represents a vital opportunity to secure consistent transit fees and develop local infrastructure, though the initiative has faced years of delays due to political instability and security concerns in the region.

In January, Afghan officials in the Western Herat announced significant progress on the TAPI project following the completion of the clearing work along the 91-kilometer route, ready for pipe installation.