Turkmenistan again offers its natural gas to Europe. “We are ready, we can sell” / But what are the logistical difficulties
The TAPI gas pipeline also starts from Turkmenistan. Photo: Alexander Vershinin / AP / Profimedia
Turkmenistan, one of the world's top natural gas producers, reiterated its willingness to supply gas to Europe on Friday, while stressing the logistical difficulties of the project, which calls for a pipeline linking Central Asia and Europe via the Caspian Sea.
“We are still interested in the diversification of export routes, including the trans-Caspian route to Europe,” Maksat Babayev, president of the Turkmengaz state company and Minister of Gas, told AFP on the occasion of an energy forum organized in the capital Ashgabat, reports France Presse and Agerpres.
According to various estimates, Turkmenistan's gas reserves rank fourth or fifth in the world. The isolated Central Asian country exports its natural gas almost exclusively to China. Currently, however, Turkmenistan is looking for new markets, while European countries, most recently Hungary, are showing interest in Central Asian natural gas.
“We are ready, we can sell gas across the border. The East-West pipeline (crossing Turkmenistan), with an annual capacity of 30 billion cubic meters, can be used to supply gas to Europe,” Babayev said.
Significant funding is needed to build this trans-Caspian pipeline
But this availability is still not enough, and Turkmen gas would have to cross the Caspian Sea, through a pipeline that is not yet built, to reach the Caucasus, from where it would be transported to Europe via Turkey.
This trans-Caspian pipeline project, which requires significant financing, has sparked renewed interest from the Europeans, who are trying to reduce their dependence on Russian hydrocarbons because of the war in Ukraine and cannot transport Turkmen gas through Russia or Iran, particularly because of sanctions.
Turkmenistan's gas minister on Friday also pointed to the “open issue of the delimitation of the Caspian Sea,” which remains problematic, especially with Iran. The official also indicated that gas production in the former Soviet republic will increase slightly in 2025, reaching 80 billion cubic meters.
Turkmengaz also announced the suspension of gas supplies to Turkey via Iran, which began in March last year, and would resume once the problems are resolved.
