Turkmenistan reports on natural gas developments

Turkmenistan plans to export 50 bn cm of gas through the Central Asian pipeline in 2002, Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov told. Of this total, 40 bn cm will be supplied to Ukraine and 10 bn cm to the Itera international group of companies. According to Niyazov, applications to buy natural gas are also being considered from Gazprom and Kazakhstan. However, the president noted that the insufficient capacity of the Central Asian pipeline is restraining exports of Turkmen natural gas to the north. It is not possible to transport more than 70 bn cm, he said.
The section of the pipeline in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is obsolete and requires modernization. Previously the capacity of the pipeline amounted to 100 bn cmpy and now amounts to 70 bn-75 bn cmpy, Niyazov said.

The president also said that Iran has asked the republic to increase gas supplies to 8 bn cm in 2002 from 5 bn-6 bn cm in 2001. Niyazov noted that a gradual increase in supplies is included in an agreement with Iran, signed in 1995 for 25 years.
Turkmenistan transports natural gas to Iran through the 200 km Korpeje-Kurtuki pipeline, built in 1997 in western Turkmenistan. The pipeline has a capacity of 12 bn cmpy. Potential for cooperation between Iran and Turkmenistan in the gas sphere will be discussed by the leaders of both countries in March, when Iranian President Mohammed Khatami will arrive on an official visit to Ashgabat.
Turkmenistan boosted gas extraction in 2001 by 9 % over the total for the previous year to 51.3 bn cm, according to a report by the National Statistics and Information Institute for 2001. Of last year's gas total, 37.2 bn cm were exported, exceeding the 2000 export figure by 11 %.
The biggest gas producer was state-run Turkmengaz -- 85 %. The state- run Turkmenneft concern's share was 15 %. Turkmengaz plants produced 43.6 bn cm of gas last year, or 5 % more than in 2000. Turkmenneft turned out 7.7 bn cm in 2001, exhibiting 32 % growth on the previous year.
Turkmengaz sales brought 6.3 tons manats in 2001, or 3 % less than the year before. Turkmenistan produced 8.02 mm tons of oil and gas condensate last year, or 12 % more than in 2000, the National Institute of State Statistics and Information reports. The Turkmenneft state enterprise accounted for 91 % of 2001 output, foreign companies for 6.8 %, including oil Turkmenistan received from the Kokdumalak field in Uzbekistan. The Turkmengaz state firm accounted for 2.2 %.
Sales brought Turkmenneft 2.2 tons manats last year, or 9 % more than in 2000. Turkmen refineries last year processed 5.212 mm tons of oil, up 6 % from 2000, according to the national statistics institute.

Refinement in December totalled 532,300 tons, up 33.8 % from November. The country's refineries produced 1.197 mm tons of gasoline (up 16 % from 2000) and 1.475 mm tons of diesel fuel (up 2 %). Product shipped totalled 905.7 bn manats, up 41 % from 2000.