China’s National Petroleum Co (CNPC) is set to begin work on a sector, dubbed Phase Four, of Turkmenistan’s massive Galkynysh gas field, according to a Turkmen government report.

The sector, once pumping at full capacity, is expected to yield about 30bn cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year. Turkmenistan is providing all the financing for development of Phase Four.

Ashgabat is giving no indication of where it intends to send Phase-Four gas. The government report notes that China is currently the “largest buyer” of Turkmen gas, purchasing about 40 bcm per year. But it also notes “diversification of export routes remains the cornerstone of Turkmenistan's gas policy,” and goes on to mention another export option – the trans-Afghan pipeline project known as TAPI, which has a projected annual capacity of 33 bcm. TAPI construction is making slow progress in Afghanistan.

Turkmen officials in recent months have additionally expressed interest in building a long-planned trans-Caspian pipeline, raising the possibility of exporting large volumes of gas to the European Union, which collectively consumed about 320 bcm in 2025. 

“The successful phased development of this gigantic field allows Turkmenistan to ensure reliable supplies of natural gas both domestically and to international markets,” the media report states.

The Galkynysh field is divided into seven developmental sectors, or phases. To date only Phase One, also developed by CNPC, is operational, producing about 30 bcm per year. Negotiations are continuing with CNPC and Abu Dhabi’s National Oil Co on the development of phases two and three.  

Independent analysts estimate that Galkynysh, along with the nearby Garakol and Yashlar fields, contain 27.4 trillion cubic metres of natural gas, a sufficient volume to enable annual exports of 200 bcm for decades.

This article first appeared in Eurasianet here.