The amount of gas produced by Turkmenistan doubled in 2000 to more than 47 billion cubic meters, the official newspaper Neutrally Turkmenistan reported Thursday.
The resource-rich Central Asian state, which has more than three trillion cubic meters of proven natural gas reserves, produced 22.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in 1999.
The former Soviet state also produced more than seven million tones of oil in 2000, which roughly equals the amount extracted in 1999, figures from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development showed.
The amount of gas exported also soared from 8.5 bcm in 1999 to 40 bcm in 2000, of which 30 bcm was exported to other ex-Soviet republics, the newspaper reported.
The oil producing region of western Turkmenistan has also shown itself to be important in terms of gas production, the newspaper added.
"The main market for the export of gas from western Turkmenistan remains Iran," it said, and talks were underway to boost gas volumes via the Korpedzhe-Kurt-Kui pipeline to Iran.
From 2000 to 2006, Turkmenistan intended to invest more than 86 million dollars to develop oil deposits and boost oil production. The country aims to produce 70 bcm of gas and 11 million tones of oil in 2001.—AFP.
©--Agence France Presse 2001.
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
