Thanks to the Turkmen geologists’ discovery of gas fields that are unique for their reserves, the country’s potential hydrocarbon resources today stand at 71.2 billion metric tons of oil equivalent, of which 53 billion metric tons account for the onshore, and 18.2 billion metric tons for the offshore areas, said Mukhammetnur Khalylov, the country’s oil and gas industry and mineral resources minister.
He made the remarks at a gas congress held in Avaza, Turkmenistan.
Khalylov said the most significant part of the potential resources of Turkmenistan, namely over 70 percent, account for natural gas.
Today, Turkmenistan, in terms of the size of proven gas reserves, ranks fourth in the world.
The country’s status as a major energy power is confirmed by the Galkynysh field, the appraisal of the reserves of which, in line with international classification system, stood at 21.2 trillion cubic meters.
“Turkmenistan has large hydrocarbon reserves, what has been repeatedly confirmed by the reserve audit performed by independent international audit companies,” said Khalylov.
The minister said that when opening new and developing the existing gas export routes, “Turkmenistan is guided by the principle that envisages not the substitution of supplies in any route through reduction of export to others, but the adequate increase in production of natural fuel from both the already developed, and the commissioned new fields.”
He said the key here is the powerful resource base, which is comprised of a number of large explored deposits, located throughout the country.
Turkmenistan is one of the key players in the energy market in the Caspian region and Central Asia.
