Turkmenistan plans to start exporting natural gas to China in 2009

According to foreign media reports on June 28, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbangure Berdy Mohammedov said in Ashkhabad on June 27th that Turkmenistan plans to begin exporting natural gas to China in 2009.

Berdy Muhammedov said that the diversification of transport routes for exporting energy to the world market has always been a priority issue for the Turkmen government. Turkmenistan has an estimated 24.6 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves.

Turkmenistan - China's natural gas pipeline construction began in August 2007 in the Bagtyyarlyk Special Economic Zone on the left bank of the Amu Darya in Turkmenistan. The natural gas pipeline will be developed by the state-owned oil giant China National Petroleum Corporation.

According to an agreement signed in April 2006, China plans to purchase 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Turkmenistan every year within 30 years.