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Five Central Asian countries could be connected by gas pipelines for $5 billion

In Central Asia, they proposed creating a gas network worth $5 billion that would unite Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. This is reported by Euronews.

The project provides for the construction and modernization of more than 3,000 km of gas pipelines. The network will allow countries to distribute gas among themselves more flexibly and cover seasonal demand growth, especially in winter.

Gas pipelines with a length of more than 3,000 km

The Central Asia Gas Ring initiative involves combining existing gas pipelines and building new sections. According to Kazakh energy expert Askar Ismailov, the total cost of the project will be about $5 billion. Of this, $2 billion is planned to be allocated for the construction of new facilities, and another $3 billion — for the modernization and digitalization of the existing infrastructure.

The network’s throughput capacity is expected to reach 20 billion cubic meters of gas per year. At the same time, the project is still at the development stage: the final financing scheme, agreements between all five countries and the construction timeline have not been announced.

How countries will be able to exchange gas

Project participants expect that a unified network will help make more effective use of the differences in the region’s resources and needs. Turkmenistan has significant natural gas reserves and will be able to expand supplies to regional markets. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which both produce and consume gas, will gain additional opportunities to redistribute resources.

One of the project’s advantages may be the ability to change the direction of supplies depending on seasonal demand. For example, if consumption increases in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan in winter, gas can be routed to these countries via alternative routes. However, this will require agreeing on transit conditions, supply volumes and the technical parameters of pipeline operations.

The project is seeking investors

According to Ismailov, the Uzbek national oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz showed interest in the initiative after preliminary talks. In addition, in May Global Gas Centre signed a memorandum of understanding with the authorities of Karakalpakstan.

The organization is also negotiating with potential investors from China and Middle Eastern countries. At the same time, specific financial arrangements have not yet been announced.

Central Asia may expand energy ties with Europe

At the forum in Tashkent, the prospects for cooperation between Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan and European markets were also discussed. In particular, the discussion concerned expanding hydrocarbon exports and developing new energy partnerships.

One example of such cooperation was the geological exploration project in Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt region, in which Azerbaijani SOCAR, British BP and Uzbekneftegaz are participating.

Azerbaijan is already supplying natural gas to European Union countries via the Southern Gas Corridor. According to the European Commission, in 2025 the volume of these supplies reached 12.5 billion cubic meters.

At the same time, the creation of a gas ring in Central Asia and the expansion of export routes to Europe remain different areas of cooperation. The first is aimed primarily at supply flexibility within the region, while the second — at enabling producers to enter external markets.

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