Desert Ceremony Celebrates Turkmenistan-China Gas Axis

China cemented its position as the top importer of Turkmen gas, ahead of Russia, at a ceremony on Wednesday to open a new plant at a major field, attended by the Turkmen president seated on a lavishly gilt throne.

The desert nation sits on the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas and rising exports to China have powered its economic growth to annual rates of over 10 percent. The newly opened processing plant at the Bagtyarlyk field feeds a major pipeline to China.

"Bagtyarlyk has to date absorbed a total of $4 billion in investment," said Berdymukhamedov from his podium, after arriving by helicopter at the field set among sun-scorched sand dunes.

CNPC data distributed to media said that between Dec. 14, 2009, and April 30, 2014, Turkmenistan had supplied 78.3 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to the China-bound pipeline. Bagtyarlyk had accounted for 21.5 bcm of this.The plant, built by CNPC and located near the Uzbek border will process 9 bcm of natural gas a year.

In September, China's President Xi Jinping and Berdymukhamedov launched a gas processing plant at Galkynysh, whose fuel will fill the future "Line D" of the existing China-bound pipeline which will run across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. 

(reuters.com Edited by Topco)