Turkmenistan to Launch Galkynysh During Xi Jinping’s Visit

Turkmenistan will launch production at Galkynysh gas field during Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit this autumn, Reuters reported.

First gas from the field will be produced by June 30, 56th birthday of Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

“We want the ceremony of launching Galkynysh to be really a top-level event and we invite China’s leadership to take part in it,” a Turkmen government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Most probably it will happen this autumn.”

Three gas processing plants with a combined annual capacity of 30 bcm will come onstream at Galkynysh by the end of 2013, Reuters said.

The Turkmen national company TurkmenGas said in May that the second stage of development at Galkynysh would eventually boost Turkmen natural gas exports to China by 25 bcm to 65 bcm a year, the new report added.