Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 27 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova /
Turkmenistan has enough gas to fill all potential pipelines, designed to diversify the energy supply of the republic, U.S famous expert on energy in Central Asia Robert Cutler said.
"The current audit of Turkmen gas reserves, carried out by European companies in accordance with international standards stipulate that Turkmenistan has enough gas to realize all potential projects," Cutler, Senior Research Fellow, the Institute of European, Russian, and
Eurasian Studies, at Carleton University, told Trend.
Turkmenistan acts as one of the key gas suppliers in the Caspian region. At present, the country exports its gas to China, Iran and Russia.
According to BP, Turkmenistan's proven gas reserves as of early 2010 are estimated at 8.1 trillion cubic meters (the fourth place in the world). It is planning to participate in a number of gas pipeline projects, such as TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India), "Nabucco" and Transcaspian project.
Today, there are disputes about whether gas will be enough for Ashgabat for all these projects, if they are implemented.
He said that TAPI pipeline will not divert gas from other projects.
It was announced about accelerating of its implementation.
"It is planned to take gas for TAPI from other fields, differing from those planned to fill Nabucco," he said.
He said that huge reserves of Turkmen gas are reality. This gas could easily fill the Nabucco pipeline.
"For example, the first gas from Turkmenistan for Nabucco may be taken from the offshore field, currently being developed by Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas", he said. However, this is not the only option, and the Central Asian republic has many other opposrtunities.
TAPI gas pipeline will be filled with gas, most likely from the recently discovered field South Yoloten Osman but not from Dovletabad field. The initial gas reserves of South Yoloten Osman are estimated at 6 trillion cubic meters. The reserves of Dovletabad field hit 1, 3 trillion cubic meters, he said.
The framework agreement on TAPI gas pipeline and the intergovernmental agreement on the implementation of this pipeline project were signed earlier this month after the summit of the participating countries in Ashgabat.
According to the feasibility study of the project, the pipeline will stretch for 1,735 kilometers from the major Dovletabad field in eastern Turkmenistan, will pass through Herat and Kandahar provinces (Afghanistan), Quetta District (Pakistan) and reach Fazilk settlement (India) on the Pakistan-Indian border.
It is expected that the pipeline, whose construction is scheduled to be completed by late 2014, will allow transporting 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually, only about 18 billion cubic meters of which India is ready to buy. The cost of the pipeline construction is estimated at $7.6 billion.
Nabucco gas pipeline project worth 7.9 billion euro will transport gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU. Construction of the gas pipeline is to begin in 2012 with the first deliveries scheduled for 2015. Maximum capacity of the pipeline will hit 31 billion cubic meters per year.
The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline will have a length of about 300 kilometers and be laid on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea. The pipeline will connect to Azerbaijan where it will link to the South Corridor, which includes the Nabucco pipeline project, which is a priority for the EU.