Turkmenistan becomes main gas supplier to China
By Laman Ismayilova
Turkmenistan became the leader for volumes of gas supply to China during the nine months of 2016.
China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) reported that Turkmenistan supplied 18.32 million tons of gas to China that is by 11.2 percent more than in nine months of 2015.
The revenues from the gas export decreased by 29 percent to $4.68 billion. Average value of the natural gas, supplied from Turkmenistan to China, decreased by $145 and was $255 per ton.
Uzbekistan delivered 2.73 million tons of gas to China during the period that is by 2.4 times more than in January-October 2015. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan supplied 229,140 tons of gas to China.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) buys natural fuel from Central Asia since 2009, after the pipeline from Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was launched. Beijing plans to increase the volume of annual gas purchase up to 65 billion cubic meters.
Being the sixth in the world for the volume of natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan produces about 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas a year, while most of its proven gas reserves are located in the Amu Darya basin in the south-east and in the Murgab South Caspian basins in the western part of the country.
In 2015, Turkmenistan's natural gas exports amounted to 48 bcm.
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