Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, April 30 / Trend H. Hasanov /
The transnational gas pipeline Turkmenistan-China, put in operation in December 2009 at full capacity - up to 40 billion cubic meters of gas per year, will be commissioned in 2012, the State Agency for Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources under the Turkmen President said.
"Gas pipeline will be fully commissioned in 2012, when the second branch of the largest gas pipeline is put into operation in the territory of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the message said.
During this year, it is planned to transport 6 billion cubic meters of gas via Trans-Asian pipeline in accordance with bilateral agreements. The agency reported that the current supply of natural gas to China are carried out in full accordance with the contractual obligations of the parties. At present, the amount of daily gas supplies has been brought to 10 million cubic meters.
Recently, total supplies from the beginning of exploitation of the pipeline exceeded 1 billion cubic meters.
The presidents of all countries involved in the project - Turkmenistan, China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan participated in the opening ceremony December 14, last year. The length of the pipeline, which is supplied from several sources - Malay and Bagtyyarlyk fields, exceeded 7,000 kilometers.
The press-release notes that clear work of Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline in practice demonstrates an immutable principle of energy strategy, implemented by the Turkmen government. It envisages reliable, stable and long-term energy supplies to foreign consumers.
"This is even more convincingly confirms the status of Turkmenistan as a reliable business partner in the international energy market."
At present, Turkmenistan holds a key position in the region on natural gas supplies, among buyers as Russia and Iran. Markets of India, Pakistan and the EU are being studied.