Turkmenistan short of gas field and export funding

Subject

Turkmen gas fields and pipelines.

Significance

Landlocked and with two major gas producers as neighbours, Turkmenistan has one major buyer for its gas, China, and is not earning enough net export revenue to invest in gas field development and new pipelines.

Impacts

• A further constriction of food availability and rights such as travel may impact social stability.
• Afghanistan is more a source of security threats than a pipeline transit partner.
• Oil production, never comparable to gas, is waning.