Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, April 2 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Turkmenistan jointly with the European Union and Azerbaijan works on documents with a view to develop new gas export routes, including to Turkey and further to Europe across the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan, a source close to the negotiations told Trend on conditions of anonymity.
The country's leadership, he said, is committed to "the principle of flexibility in the implementation of any alternative projects."
"Turkmenistan is ready to supply gas at any point along its border to all interested buyers, including the gas supply on the shores of the Caspian Sea," the source said.
The European Union, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan will prepare two normative documents as part of the Southern Gas Corridor project, Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said earlier.
The Southern Corridor is a priority EU energy project diversifying energy supply routes and sources and increasing EU energy security. The Southern Corridor includes the Nabucco gas pipeline, Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), White Stream, and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline).
Construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan will provide routes of the Southern Corridor to the Turkmen gas.
Turkmenistan, which yields only to Russia, Iran and Qatar on the natural gas reserves, may supply gas to Nabucco with the realization of the project on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline under the Caspian Sea from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan.
Ashgabat believes that pipeline projects under the Caspian seabed should be implemented only with the consent of those countries, through which sections of these pipelines will pass.
Earlier, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso paid a visit to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, both of which are considered main suppliers of gas for the Nabucco project. The result of his visit to Azerbaijan was a joint declaration on "Southern Gas Corridor" signed in Baku. It is considered by the project participants as an important step towards its establishment.
During Barroso's visit to Turkmenistan, President Berdimuhamedov expressed interest to supply gas to the European market. He called the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline the most attractive option. Barroso confirmed his intention to work together on the issue of reliable and stable natural gas supply to the world markets.
In 2006, Turkmenistan discovered the super giant oil and gas field South Yoloten Osman in the Mary Province. Gaffney, Cline & Associates estimated the field's natural gas reserves at up to 14 trillion cubic meters. According to the latest figures from Turkmen geologists, the resources can be assessed as between 21 and 22 trillion cubic feet of gas
.
Western observers note that the start of the construction of the East-West gas pipeline, which will connect the reserves of the field with the east Caspian coast, gave a recovery to this process.
Recently, Ashgabat announced its readiness to supply 40 billion cubic meters of gas per year for Nabucco, including resources from Yoloten and the Turkmen section of the Caspian Sea where the Malaysian Petronas operates.
According to recently released data from the Turkmengeologiya, the resources at Yoloten, which is among the top five biggest fields in the world, are roughly 21 trillion cubic meters of gas.