MARY, Turkmenistan, April 23. Turkmenistan plans to construct a gas processing plant with a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters of marketable gas per year as part of the fourth phase of development of the Galkynysh gas field, Aman Khasietov, representative of Turkmengaz State Concern told reporters during the official ceremony marking the launch of the fourth phase of development at the Galkynysh gas field, Trend reports.
He said the project will be implemented in partnership with Chinese partners and will also include the drilling of 30 production wells and the construction of a range of industrial, infrastructure, and social facilities. The total investment is estimated at around $5 billion.
He noted that the project will use technologies from leading global manufacturers, ensuring a high-tech nature of the future production complex.
According to Khasietov, construction is scheduled for completion by 2030, after which deliveries of marketable gas to consumers will begin. Export destinations, as noted, will depend on market demand, including both domestic and external markets.
The Galkynysh gas field, located in eastern Turkmenistan, is one of the largest in the world. Its reserves are estimated to range between 4 and 14 trillion cubic meters of gas. The field was discovered in 2006, and commercial production began in 2013 under the management of Turkmengaz State Concern.
China National Petroleum Corporation gained access to the development of the field in 2009 after securing relevant contracts, becoming one of the key foreign partners in the project. The company has participated in the construction of gas processing facilities and infrastructure and was selected for the implementation of this phase in 2025-2026, further strengthening its position in Turkmenistan’s gas sector.
On March 2026, a contract has been signed between Turkmengaz State Concern and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the turnkey design and construction of the facilities for development of fourth phase of the field. The project is expected to enable annual production of up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas, contributing to the expansion of Turkmenistan’s export capacity.
Earlier, Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, emphasized that one of the key priorities of the country’s energy agenda is the supply of natural gas to Europe. “15-20 years ago we had very good cooperation with our European colleagues, and we did a lot to practically implement a number of ideas for delivering Turkmen natural gas to Europe via the Caspian Sea,” he said.
In parallel, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Türkmen Dünýäsi”, Batyr Muradov, told Trend that Turkmenistan is considering the possibility of exporting natural gas to Europe via Azerbaijan.