/By AzerNews/

By Laman Sadigova

The natural and associated gas production increased by 5 percent in January-March 2015 in Turkmenistan, compared to the same period of 2014, the Turkmen Ministry of Oil and Gas Industry and Mineral Resources reported.

The export of this fuel has increased by 6.5 percent recently.

Turkmenistan is a big exporter of natural gas to China, Iran and Russia. Turkmenistan never took off the European vector from the agenda of its exports. The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea to Europe through Azerbaijan and the Trans-Afghan gas pipeline to Pakistan to India are among the planned gas pipelines from Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan comes fourth in terms of its volume of natural gas reserve after Russia, Iran and Qatar. The largest country’s fields are located in the Mary province, in the country’s east, with total resources estimated by local geologists and British GCA at 26.2 trillion cubic meters.

Under the program for development of the country’s oil and gas industry, it is scheduled to raise the gas production volume to 230 billion cubic meters by 2030 and the major part of this volume is considered for export.

Earlier it was reported that over 76 billion cubic meters of natural gas was produced in Turkmenistan in 2014 and more than 45 billion cubic meters of this volume was sent for export.

Not surprisingly Turkmenistan’s economical growth can increase Central Asian economy and the region’s influence.