CNPC head reaffirms company's interest in broadening cooperation with Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT. June 21 (Interfax) - Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Director and President Hou Qijun discussed the prospects of cooperation in the gas sector at their meeting, the Turkmenistan State News Agency said.
Hou Qijun reaffirmed that the CNPC and Chinese business circles are interested in broadening cooperation with Turkmenistan in the long term.
He briefed the Turkmen president on the progress of CNPC projects in Turkmenistan, including the commercial development of hydrocarbon deposits in the Bagtyyarlyk contract area and efforts to install equipment at one of the world's largest natural gas deposits - the Galkynysh gas field.
As a result of this cooperation, Turkmen natural gas has been transported to China via the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline since 2009. The parties underscored the importance of agreements reached at the highest level to develop the second stage of the Galkynysh gas deposit and to build the fourth line of the Turkmenistan-China cross-border gas pipeline.
Hou Qijun also thanked the Turkmen president for personally attending a June 18 ceremony to commission the Gadyn gas-gathering station in the Lebap region.
Chinese Ambassador to Turkmenistan Qian Naicheng also took part in the meeting.
As reported, CNPC commissioned a $280-million gas-gathering station at the Gadyn gas deposit in the Lebap district in eastern Turkmenistan last Saturday in the presence of Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow.
The Gadyn gas-gathering station will receive 5.5 million cubic meters of natural gas per day from a number of gas fields in the Bagtyyarlyk contract area on the right bank of the Amu Darya. CNPC is developing these gas fields for deliveries of Turkmen gas to China.
The newly commissioned station will ensure the collection and processing of natural gas and gas condensate. Gas then is transported to a gas compressor station in the Bagtyyarlyk contract area, from where it is sent via the Turkmenistan-China export gas pipeline.
It was said during the June 18 ceremony that since this pipeline was put into operation in late 2009, more than 334 bcm of natural gas have been exported from Turkmenistan to China.
The Turkmen oil and gas sector's online newspaper Nebit-Gaz quoted Hou Qijun as saying at the ceremony that "in the future, we plan to increase gas production in the Bagtyyarlyk contract area, thus bringing bilateral energy cooperation to a new and higher level."