Tag Archives: gas

Turkmenistan supplies gas to China

SEPT 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan is one of China’s most important energy suppliers, the deputy director of PetroChina, Lu Gongxun, said in an interview.

His comments, while not breaking news, underline the importance and high regard that China places on its new partner. Turkmenistan has become vital for the Chinese economy, sending around 50 billion cubic metres (cbm) of natural gas to China each year.

And it’s going to become even more important. By 2021, Turkmenistan will be pumping 65bcm of gas to China each year, eclipsed only by Russia.

“Turkmenistan’s rich gas resources facilitate the implementation of China’s goal of diversifying energy imports. The natural gas imports from the Central Asia play an indispensable role in ensuring the state energy security of China,” he Lu said according to press reports.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Turkmenistan signs another gas deal

AUG. 26 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan has signed another major gas supply deal, underlining its growing status as a regional energy super-power. A Turkish-Japanese consortium will build a $1.7b gas plant in Turkmenistan that will process natural gas into high quality fuel for export. Most of Turkmenistan’s natural gas it pumped to China.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)

Iran stops importing gas from Turkmenistan

AUG. 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Iran has said that it will stop importing gas from Turkmenistan, media reported. Most of Turkmenistan’s gas flows to China and Iran was not a major client but, even so, the Iranian decision to stop imports will irk. With its economy improving, Iran has said that it plans to ramp up its own gas production.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 196, published on Aug. 20 2014)

Turkmen-Pakistan ties improve

AUG. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The TAPI gas pipeline that is planned to run from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India is already influencing regional trade links. At a meeting in Ashgabat to discuss progress on the project, Pakistan and Turkmenistan also agreed to improve bilateral ties.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)

Blair to advise BP on Azerbaijan’s energy

JULY 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – BP said it had hired former British PM Tony Blair for its advisory board on how best to export energy from the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. Mr Blair has been an adviser to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev since 2011.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 193, published on July 30 2014)

Turkmenistan to open embassy in Kyrgyzstan

JULY 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan’s President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said the notoriously stand-offish country would open up an embassy in Bishkek, the second new diplomatic outpost it has announced in the last few days.

Last month, Mr Berdymukhamedov said Turkmenistan would also open an office in Tbilisi. The common thread is that these are both countries in the former Soviet Union that Turkmenistan is now partnering with on energy projects.

In Georgia, Turkmenistan is interested in utilising the South Caucasus energy corridor to Europe. In Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan sees an increasingly important partner for sending gas to China, its key client.

Over the past few years, Turkmenistan has transformed itself into a major gas exporter. It has become rich and increasingly open. As well as funding various follies, such as an Olympic stadium and building white marble facades around its government buildings, some funds have gone into burnishing Turkmenistan’s image abroad. This includes opening new embassies.

Mr Berdymukhamedov’s predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, was a notorious recluse. Part of Mr Berdymukhamedov’s recent success has been his willingness to open up to the world, a strategy that appears to be continuing.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)

Turkmenistan opens embassy in Tbilisi

JUNE 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Highlighting Turkmenistan’s more international outlook, media reported that it would open an embassy in Georgia soon. Since Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov become president in 2007 Turkmenistan has looked to increase its international status. Georgia is part of a South Caucasus gas pipeline network that Turkmenistan wants to use to export to Europe.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

ENI wants to develop Turkmenistan’s gas sector

JULY 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Despite taking a lot of criticism in Kazakhstan for its management of the Caspian Sea Kashagan oil project it appears that Central Asia is still high on the target list for future projects at Italy’s ENI.

ENI CEO Claudio Descalzi visited Ashgabat and spoke with Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov about increasing ENI’s presence in Turkmenistan. Reuters reported that Mr Descalzi had said that he wanted ENI to carry out a feasibility study on how to develop Turkmenistan’s gas sector.

“Concerning the development of future cooperation, the parties discussed options for gas valorization, agreeing that ENI will conduct a feasibility study in this regard,” ENI said in a short statement.

“ENI’s CEO also confirmed the company’s interest in expanding operations in offshore exploration.”

Last month ENI was wooing Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. It signed a deal with Kazakhstan to develop a new site in the Caspian Sea.

This appeared to please ENI’s investors and its share price rose 1.6% on the Italian stock market.

If ENI can secure a foothold in Turkmenistan, which has the world’s fourth largest gas reserves, the Italian stock market will no doubt like that too.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

Russia grants duty-free imports for Armenia

JULY 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russia ratified a deal that gives Armenia tax-free imports of gas, oil and diamonds until it joins the Eurasian Economic Union. Russia has become a major patron of Armenia. This year it completed the purchase of Armenia’s gas supply network. Armenia hopes to join the Eurasian Economic Union this year.

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(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

Azerbaijan reducing flaring

JUNE 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan has reduced flaring off excess gas at oil producing plants by 50% over the last two years, Anita Georgia a World Bank official said in an interview with Bloomberg.The World Bank is pushing for countries to reduce flaring.

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(News report from Issue No. 190, published on June 25 2014)