The Central Asia Gas Ring Project could establish an additional regional route for the supply of Turkmen gas, the Executive Director of the Global Gas Centre (GGC, Geneva) Valérie Ducrot stated at the 31st International Conference and Exhibition “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan – 2026.”
“The Central Asia Gas Ring Project could create an additional regional route for supplying Turkmen gas to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and, with provided interconnections, to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well. Existing export commitments would remain in place,” Ducrot said.
She noted that during the most recent Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov spoke about opportunities for cooperation in pipeline infrastructure and power supply. Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening long-term energy ties in the face of global market volatility.
Ducrot pointed out that Turkmenistan currently exports over 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually to China. The Central Asia – China gas pipeline system has an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters, and a planned additional line to the PRC would provide an extra 30 billion cubic meters of capacity.
According to her assessment, the most significant growth in global demand for energy resources is occurring in the south and east. Pakistan has a population of approximately 240 million, while India is home to over 1.4 billion people; India has set a goal to increase the share of natural gas in its energy mix to 15% by 2030 (up from the current figure of about 6%).
Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries are also modernizing their economies, expanding their energy and industrial sectors. They require energy, reliable, available in large volumes and affordable for both households and industry, the expert noted.
