During a working meeting between Kazakh and Turkmen representatives, held on the sidelines of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in the resort town of Avaza, Turkmenistan, discussions focused on the potential participation of Astana in the development of Turkmenistan’s largest gas field - Galkynysh, located in Mary Province.
The development of Galkynysh, which unites a group of gas fields including South Iolotan (Yoloten), Minara, and surrounding areas, began in 2013. That year, the Presidents of Turkmenistan and China took part in the inauguration of a complex of gas processing plants. The state-owned Turkmengaz began developing the field in partnership with China’s CNPC, South Korea’s LG International Corp and Hyundai Engineering, and Petrofac and Gulf Oil & Gas FZE from the UAE. The total investment in the project amounted to approximately $10 billion, with $8 billion provided by China in the form of loans.
Photo: The Milli Majlis
Combined reserves of the Galkynysh, Yashlar, and Garakel fields are estimated at 27.4 trillion cubic meters of gas. At the “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan 2024” (OGT 2024) international conference, Turkmen experts emphasized that Galkynysh is currently being developed in seven stages. The first stage is now in pilot industrial operation. The second stage is expected to increase Turkmen gas exports to China via the fourth line of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline, bringing total annual exports to 65 billion cubic meters - a 25 billion cubic meter increase. The third stage of Galkynysh development is aimed at supplying gas to the planned Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, which also originates from this field and is expected to deliver 33 billion cubic meters annually. In autumn 2024, construction began on the Serhetabat-Herat section of the TAPI pipeline.
According to OGT 2024, the average daily gas flow rate at Galkynysh reaches 1.5 million cubic meters, with the reservoir showing potential for stable production from wells exceeding 2 million cubic meters per day. British consultancy GaffneyCline, which assessed the field as “truly phenomenal,” projects that each stage of the field's development could sustain gas extraction for more than 30 years. Plans were also announced to increase annual gas production to nearly 200 billion cubic meters. Notably, the step-by-step development strategy allows for flexible investment planning, with each new phase drawing on technical experience and geological data from existing wells.
Kazakhstan's potential participation in the project was previously discussed in April 2025 during a meeting between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. That same month, a stable gas flow of 2 million cubic meters per day was recorded at Galkynysh from productive reservoirs located at depths exceeding 4,000 meters. At that time, the field had 52 operational wells.
According to international sources, Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world in natural gas reserves - after Russia, Iran, and Qatar - with China being its largest customer. In the case of Galkynysh, there are plans to boost daily production to 160 million cubic meters by 2030. The monetization of the field is seen as a crucial step toward Turkmenistan’s sustainable development, contributing to job creation and strengthening the country’s position on the global energy stage.
29th International Conference and Exhibition «Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan — 2024» (OGT 2024)
On August 5, within the framework of the Third UN LLDC Conference, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held discussions on expanding cooperation in trade, energy, and transport and logistics. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries. Symbolically, Tokayev was personally welcomed at Turkmenbashi Airport by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
According to Kazakhstan’s LS financial agency, bilateral trade in the first half of 2025 exceeded $230 million. Kazakh exports rose by nearly 47%, reaching more than 160,000 tons, while imports more than doubled.
Also worth noting is the proposal made by the Turkmen side in April this year to establish a joint transport and logistics company with Kazakhstan. In this context, President Tokayev emphasized the strategic importance of the Turghundi-Herat-Kandahar-Spin Boldak railway project, as well as the key role played by the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway and the ongoing construction of the Turkmenbashi-Garabogaz-Kazakhstan border highway in strengthening regional transit capacity.
Taken together, these developments clearly reflect the vast potential for deepening cooperation between Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan - particularly in the areas of energy, transportation, logistics, and trade.
