QazaqGaz and UAE’s ADNOC to jointly explore gas in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan

Sanzhar Zharkeshov, CEO of QazaqGaz, a subsidiary of Samruk-Kazyna, recently met with Mohamed Al Aryani, executive vice president for international growth at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC, the UAE), to discuss collaboration on geological exploration in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

«Today in Abu Dhabi, we had a productive meeting with Mohamed Al Aryani, executive vice president for international growth at ADNOC. We discussed joint geological exploration projects in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. We see great potential for collaboration with ADNOC and are committed to leveraging this opportunity effectively,» Zharkeshov shared on Instagram.

Zharkeshov highlighted that QazaqGaz is ready to provide ADNOC with transparent and competitive terms, along with access to promising exploration areas. He expressed confidence that this initiative would lay the groundwork for strengthening bilateral relations.

During President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Turkmenistan in 2024, QazaqGaz and Turkmengaz, Turkmenistan’s national gas company, signed a strategic agreement to advance the development of the gas industry.

«Our plans include participating in developing gas fields in Turkmenistan, including the super-giant Galkynysh gas and oil field,» Zharkeshov stated.

Additionally, Turkmenistan may begin exporting gas to Kazakhstan. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, former president of Turkmenistan and current chairman of the country’s Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council), announced in March 2024 that Turkmenistan, as one of the world’s largest energy producers, is willing to supply energy resources to brotherly countries and expand the volume of such exports.

Turkmenistan exports electricity to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, plans are in progress, with the involvement of neighboring nations, to launch major projects aimed at expanding the delivery of Turkmen natural gas to eastern markets. Berdimuhamedov underscored the importance of Turkmenistan developing an effective, reliable and self-sufficient partnership model to meet the growing energy demands of neighboring states, while also navigating the challenges posed by an increasingly volatile global energy market.

Currently, Turkmen gas is transported through three strings of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The pipeline has a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year, with Turkmenistan supplying 40 bcm, while the remaining 15 bcm is available for Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to export their gas to China.

QazaqGaz has also forged a partnership with Uzbekistan to ensure a steady gas supply to southern Kazakhstan. Under the mutual arrangement, gas from Kazakhstan’s western fields is transported through Karakalpakstan to southern regions of Kazakhstan. In return, Kazakhstan facilitates the transit of Uzbek gas to Tashkent for fuel supply. This arrangement, vital for regional energy stability, was extended through 2025 during President Tokayev’s recent visit to Tashkent.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan aims to complete the construction of the second string of the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent gas pipeline, with a capacity of 15 bcm per year, by 2026. The pipeline’s total capacity will be expanded in phases. For instance, when the first string was launched, its annual capacity was 4 bcm of gas supplied from the Aktobe fields. Later, gas from the western fields was incorporated, and the construction of compressor stations boosted the capacity of the first string to 15 bcm per year.

At a briefing in Akorda in October 2022, President Tokayev revealed that he and Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s son, had thoroughly discussed opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships in the gas industry. Following these talks, QazaqGaz and Turkmengaz signed a contract for the import of Turkmen gas. Tokayev also expressed interest in negotiating a long-term agreement to increase the volume of Turkmen gas imports to Kazakhstan, with plans to raise it to 1.5 bcm per year.