China to build gas pipeline to pump Tukmen gas through Kyrgyzstan

China will be able to use a transit through Kyrgyzstan to enable it to purchase Turkmen gas from 2016 after commissioning of the new linear part of the gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to China, Trend reported on January 3.

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has recently ratified an agreement between the governments of Kyrgyzstan and China on cooperation in the construction and commissioning of the Kyrgyzstan - China gas pipeline, a message posted on the official website of Kyrgyz president said on January 2.

China began to receive Turkmen gas in 2009 after commissioning of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan which gave the opportunity to bring the volume of Turkmen gas supplied to China to 40 billion cubic meters per year.

In September 2013 it was reported that Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was on a visit to Ashgabat, agreed on a fourth route of the transnational Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline via Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

This corresponds to an agreement between Ashgabat and Beijing to supply an additional 25 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas per year which will give an opportunity to bring the total volume to 65 billion cubic meters.

The transit through the territory of Kyrgyzstan will be 225 kilometres. It is expected that the volume of investment from China through the territory of Kyrgyzstan will be about $1.2-$1.4 billion. It is planned to complete the construction of the linear part of the gas pipeline by late 2016.

Copyright: Trend, 2014