Turkmenistan promotes energy partnership with West, minister says
By Aynur Karimova
Turkmenistan, with its abundant natural gas reserves, has been consistently promoting the Western vector of energy partnership. The country is considering the European market as one of the most promising areas of gas supply.
This remark was made by Turkmenistan’s Petroleum and Mineral
Resources Minister, Muhammetnur Khalylov at a recent gas conference
in Avaza.
“The multilateral talks were held with the participation of the
corresponding ministries of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and
the European Commission in Ashgabat in early May,” he said. “They
discussed cooperation in natural gas supplies to the EU countries
via the planned Trans-Caspian gas pipeline.”
He said that during the talks Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and
the EU signed a declaration on developing energy cooperation. The
document stresses on the need to boost joint work on the
development of a draft framework agreement on the supply of natural
gas from Turkmenistan to Europe. It was also decided to create a
working group at the level of the deputies of the heads of branch
ministries of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and the EU.
“The document also stresses the importance of the initiative to
create the Caspian Development Corporation,” Khalylov said, adding
that the EU, on its part, offered to create a consortium with the
participation of major European companies that will finance the gas
pipeline’s construction.
He went on adding that Turkmenistan is ready to supply natural gas
to all interested buyers, including European countries. EU
countries, in turn, attach great importance to the development of
cooperation with Turkmenistan.
“Given this mutual interest of the sides, the partnership between
Turkmenistan and the EU promises to be very perspective and
mutually beneficial in the near future,” the minister said. "For
this purpose, the possibility of the construction of Trans-Caspian
gas pipeline is being studied."
Energy-rich Turkmenistan, which ranks fourth in the world in terms
of its volume of gas reserves after Russia, Iran and Qatar, and
produces about 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas a year, is keen on
increasing and diversifying the supply of its huge volume of
natural gas to Europe.
Turkmenistan has the fourth largest gas reserves in the world, at a minimum some 17 trillion cubic meters, possibly as much as 25 or 26 trillion cubic meters. The construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline will greatly expand the diversification of the Turkmen natural gas supply routes, as well as create an additional guarantee for the reliable and stable export of Turkmen energy resources to international markets.
The construction of the 300-kilometer Trans-Caspian Pipeline, which will enable to transport up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via Azerbaijan, is in the interest of Europe as the EU is trying to decrease its dependence on Russian gas.
Azerbaijan is also interested in the construction of the Trans-Caspian Pipeline as it can gain huge benefits from the transportation of Turkmen gas via its territory.
“Today, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have every opportunity to implement it [the project] within bilateral activities,” the minister noted.
At the initial stage, the fields in the Turkmen part of the
Caspian Sea can serve as a resource base for gas supply via the
Trans-Caspian gas pipeline. The proven gas reserves of the fields
in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea today allow to supply up
to 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year in this direction, said
the minister.
"It will be possible to use the reserves of the gas fields in
Turkmenistan’s east for gas supply via the Trans-Caspian route in
the future," he added.
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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova
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