Official estimates oil field capacity |
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Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:01
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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AFX) - A senior Turkmen energy official has disclosed for the first time the estimated capacity of a natural gas field designed to feed a planned pipeline to China, putting it at over 1.7 trillion cubic meters in remarks televised Tuesday.'We have assessed reserves of the Sag Kenar field, from which we are planning to deliver gas to China, at more than 1.7 trillion cubic meters,' Deputy Oil and Gas Minister Ishanguly Nuryyev said.Nuryyev said the figure was preliminary and could increase by as much as 20 times after further assessments of the field, in the western part of Turkmenistan.Under a deal signed by the two countries in April 2006, China will buy 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from the resource-rich Central Asian country over 30 years, to be delivered through a new pipeline slated for completion by 2009.Nuryyev, who is running for the country's presidency in a Feb. 11 election, made the announcement during a meeting with voters Monday.The election that the tightly controlled ex-Soviet republic is holding after last month's death of long-ruling President Saparmurat Niyazov is widely expected to be won by Acting President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov.Berdymukhamedov has said that Turkmenistan would stick to the pipeline contract with China.Turkmenistan possesses the second-biggest gas reserves among all ex-Soviet republics after Russia, and its resources are playing an increasingly important role in regional geopolitics.The Russian gas giant Gazprom controls the only transit route for Turkmen gas exports to other ex-Soviet republics and Europe.Turkmenistan's government puts its proven natural gas reserves at 2.8 trillion cubic meters. In November, it claimed discovery of a new giant gas field in the country's southeast with an estimated 7 trillion cubic meters of gas. The claims have not been independently confirmed.Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Turkmen official discloses gas capacity 