Turkmenistan, the largest seller of natural gas in Central Asia, increased its production in 2023 by 6.9% and exports by 12.6%, Report informs referring to the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.
In 2023 the country sold its gas mainly to China, as well as Russia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan and produced a total of 80.6 billion cubic meters of gas.
These figures were announced at a government meeting at which President Serdar Berdimuhamedov spoke about the importance of industrial development of the super-giant Galkynysh gas and oil field and the participation of foreign companies in the exploration and development of the national sector of the Caspian Sea.
The head of state also ordered to keep the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline in the spotlight.
Until 2024, supplies of Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan were carried out via swap through Iran. In accordance with the trilateral swap agreement, signed on November 28, 2021 in Ashgabat, supplies of up to 1.5-2 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas per year were provided, and then these volumes grew to 3-4 billion cubic meters of gas per year. However, swap supplies of gas from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan through Iran have been temporarily stopped and may resume after reaching a new agreement between Baku and Ashkhabad.
Deliveries began in January 2022 with a volume of 5-6 million cubic meters per day. By March of the same year, the daily volume of gas pumped increased to 7 million cubic meters.
The possibilities of transporting Turkmen gas to Türkiye through Azerbaijan are also being discussed.
From January 1, 2024, imports of crude oil and natural gas under a swap agreement are exempt from VAT in Azerbaijan for three years.