Turkmenistan plans to begin production at Galkynysh, the world's second-largest gas field, by June 30, which will allow it boost exports to Asia and help Europe lessen its dependence on Russian gas.
British auditor Gaffney, Cline & Associates has estimated the reserves of Galkynysh, named after the Turkmen word for renaissance, at 13.1 trillion to 21.2 trillion cubic meters.
"This is a very deep field, the total gas accumulation is very large, so we have huge gas production capacity," Annageldi Mametyazov, Turkmen deputy oil and gas minister, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Paris.
The deadline for the field's first gas output was timed to coincide with the birthday of Turkmenistan's strongman President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, marked on June 29.
(Reuters)
