Turkmenistan, China launch expansion of giant gas field

ASHGABAT, 18th April, 2026 (WAM) — Turkmenistan and China broke ground Friday on works to expand production at the giant Galkynysh gas field.

Turkmenistan, which holds the world’s fourth-largest gas reserves, has exported nearly all its production to China since 2009, when the Central Asia-China pipeline opened.

Galkynysh, in the Karakum desert about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of the capital Ashgabat, has been producing gas since 2013 and is the world’s second-largest gas field, according to the British consulting firm GaffneyCline.

Expansion works are being carried out by the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).