Turkmenistan plans to diversify gas exports across three directions

Turkmenistan is developing three natural gas export routes: eastern, southern and western. Myrat Archayev, Deputy Chairman for Exports and Foreign Economic Ties at the state-owned Turkmengaz concern, announced this at the 31st International Conference and Exhibition “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan” (OGT 2026) in Ashgabat on October 21. He said diversification serves the interests of both buyers and suppliers.

In the east, the Turkmenistan–China gas pipeline, operating since December 2009, had delivered more than 477 billion cubic meters of gas as of October 1, 2026. Turkmengaz also cooperates with the Malaysian company Petronas, which has operated in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea since 1996. In 2025, the partnership was extended through a new production-sharing agreement for Block I and a long-term gas purchase and sale agreement, and the service company ADNOC joined the project.

In the south, Archayev highlighted the TAPI gas pipeline, which has a design capacity of 33 billion cubic meters per year. A memorandum on gas supply and related infrastructure in Herat Province was signed on August 10, 2026, between Turkmengaz and the Afghan state-owned company Afghan Gas. In the west, Turkmenistan offers Caspian transport infrastructure, including the Turkmenbashi International Seaport. Archayev said new projects require technical, commercial and legal terms to be settled before investment decisions. “Turkmenistan is open to dialogue and ready to consider specific proposals,” he concluded.