ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Natural gas reviews in Turkmenistan put the country among world leaders, but regional geopolitical tensions may complicate development, an analysis says.
An October review of the South Yolotan-Osman and Yashlar gas fields by the British energy consulting firm Gaffney, Cline & Associates puts the estimated reserves in Turkmenistan among the world's largest. But with Turkmenistan struggling to meet the demands of current customers Russia and China and with a deteriorating infrastructure, the export potential for these reserves remains in doubt, an analysis in The Georgian Times said Monday.
If the upper estimates of nearly 500 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in Turkmenistan hold true, the country will have few challenges meeting its current obligations and new export routes, including the Nabucco pipeline to Europe. Meanwhile, a decision by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Turkey to fund Nabucco makes Turkmenistan integral to European energy security.
Turkmenistan, however, lacks the capital to improve its infrastructure, and Moscow's decision to intervene in former Soviet satellites looms large in regional pipeline diplomacy. Additionally, as Western nations move into the wake of the conflict in Georgia, a host to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and other arteries, the future of Turkmenistan as a geopolitical player remains complex.
