State Minister of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the State Concern Turkmengas Maksat Babayev spoke about the development of the gas industry and the implementation of international projects at the plenary session of the 31st International Conference and Exhibition “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan — OGT 2026” on October 21. This was reported by the Turkmenportal news website.

The development of the Galkynysh field remains a key priority. According to Gaffney, Cline & Associates, the field’s reserves, together with those of the Garaköl and Yashlar structures, amount to 27.4 trillion cubic metres of natural gas. The fourth phase of development includes drilling wells and constructing a gas treatment plant with an annual capacity of 10 billion cubic metres. The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is the project partner. The project is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs.

China remains the largest importer of Turkmen natural gas. Since December 2009, more than 477 billion cubic metres of gas have been delivered through the Turkmenistan–China gas pipeline.

Construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline, running from Serhetabat to Herat, is ongoing. Gas supplies through this section are scheduled to begin in 2027. In August, Turkmengas and the Afghan state-owned company Afghan Gas signed a memorandum of cooperation covering, among other areas, gas supplies to Herat Province.

Maksat Babayev emphasised that Turkmenistan is diversifying its export routes and expanding cooperation with international partners. Turkmengas’s priorities include introducing digital technologies, reducing methane emissions, training national specialists and transferring technological expertise.