Turkmenistan and China have launched a major gas expansion project at the Galkynysh field under a $5.1 billion agreement that will add 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of annual production capacity. The project is expected to support Turkmenistan’s plans to increase gas exports to China from about 40 bcm to 65 bcm per year, while further strengthening energy ties between the two countries.
The contract, signed in April between Turkmengaz and CNPC Amudarya Petroleum Company, предусматривает бурение новых скважин и строительство газоперерабатывающих мощностей. Chinese state-owned CNPC will implement the project on a turnkey basis, while ownership of the gas is expected to remain with Turkmenistan.
The launch marks a new stage in a partnership that has reshaped Central Asia’s energy landscape. Since the opening of the Central Asia–China gas pipeline in 2009, China has become Turkmenistan’s main gas customer, replacing Russia as the dominant external player in the country’s gas sector. According to official data, Turkmenistan had supplied around 460 bcm of gas to China by March 2026.
Turkmen authorities aim to raise exports to 65 bcm annually, but achieving that target will require completion of the long-delayed Line D pipeline. The planned route would add 25 bcm of transport capacity and connect Turkmenistan to China through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Despite agreements reached more than a decade ago, the project remains unfinished.
The acceleration of cooperation comes amid growing uncertainty around alternative export routes. Regional tensions have complicated progress on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, while conflict involving Iran has disrupted recently launched gas supplies to Turkey. As a result, China remains by far Turkmenistan’s largest and most reliable market, accounting for an estimated 80-90% of the country’s gas exports.
Turkmenistan continues to promote diversification through TAPI and a proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline to Europe, but neither project has secured the conditions needed for large-scale exports. As a result, the Galkynysh expansion is likely to increase the country’s production capacity while also deepening its dependence on the Chinese market. Future export growth will largely depend on progress with Line D and the development of alternative routes capable of reducing reliance on a single buyer.
