From TAPI to CASA-1000: How can Afghanistan benefit from energy corridors?

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 2026 update, construction in Afghanistan resumed in December 2024 after its suspension in 2021. Facilities elsewhere were largely complete, leaving the Afghan section essential to bringing the regional system into operation.

Hydropower introduces another consideration: drought and changing water availability can affect exportable electricity. Supply planning must account for seasonal variability, supported by regional coordination over water and energy.

Turning transit into domestic value

Transit fees could provide revenue, but their contribution to development will depend on spending decisions and the connections built between these corridors and Afghanistan’s economy.

Using TAPI gas domestically requires offtake facilities, metering, pressure regulation and networks reaching consumers. Supplying Herat’s factories and households therefore involves investment beyond the main pipeline, alongside workable supply contracts, affordable prices and trained operators.

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Electricity presents a similar challenge. Communities along a transmission route need distribution lines, connection equipment and purchasing arrangements to receive power. These investments require their own budgets and implementation plans.

Preparations should begin during corridor construction. Waiting until commissioning to identify customers or train technicians would delay the benefits and could leave infrastructure underused.

The World Bank identifies unreliable electricity and limited access to finance as obstacles to Afghan growth and employment. For a manufacturer, an energy corridor becomes economically useful when dependable supply reaches the premises and the business can afford the equipment needed to use it.

Local trust and financial transparency

People living along these routes bear some of the immediate costs of construction. Land acquisition, disruption to livelihoods and uncertainty over compensation can generate grievances, making community relations an important part of corridor security.

Community support programmes associated with CASA-1000 in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan offer experience in linking regional infrastructure with local development. Afghanistan needs verifiable commitments on compensation, employment and training, with accessible grievance procedures and provision for women and vulnerable groups to benefit.

Financial arrangements also shape what the country can gain. Under the World Bank’s ring-fenced approach, construction payments and future revenues are managed offshore, outside Taliban control. This arrangement enables implementation while restricting the handling of funds. Revenue projections must therefore be assessed against the rules governing their use, rather than treated as unrestricted additions to Kabul’s budget.

Opportunities for Iran and regional cooperation

Iran has reasons to examine both the competitive effects of these corridors and the business opportunities around them. Engineering services, local gas distribution and electricity distribution upgrades are potential areas for participation, subject to commercial feasibility, regulatory compliance and separate agreements.

Any future electricity link between Iran and South Asia would require additional infrastructure, equipment and contracts. Its prospects should be assessed independently of CASA-1000, with attention to costs, available capacity and buyers’ needs.

Gulf countries could also explore solar generation, storage and technical services. Such investments could address local needs while larger projects proceed. Afghanistan’s households and businesses need improvements in supply during the construction years as well as after commissioning.

Across the region, the commercial foundations deserve sustained diplomatic attention. Payment arrangements, enforceable contracts, dispute resolution and continuity of service during political crises will influence whether buyers, suppliers and financiers remain committed.

Afghanistan’s gains should ultimately be assessed through dependable energy supplied to domestic users, the use of transit revenues and benefits delivered to communities along the routes. Publishing those results would give citizens and regional partners a basis for judging progress. The central task for Afghan energy diplomacy is to make domestic development part of the contracts, investment plans and operating arrangements from the outset.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.