(VOVworld) – A ground breaking ceremony of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline was held in Mary, Turkmenistan, on Sunday, attended by leaders of the 4 countries. The 7.6 –billion USD TAPI pipeline will be 1,800-kilometres-long, running from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh field, the world second largest natural gas field, through Afghanistan and Pakistan to end at Fazilka (Punjab) in India. It will carry gas to those 3 countries for 30 years. The pipeline is expected to begin operation in 2018 with a capacity of 90 million cubic metres of gas a day.