Uzbeks Approach Kazakhs for Access to China Gas Pipe

Uzbekistan is in talks with neighbouring Kazakhstan to ship its natural gas via a pipeline running from ex-Soviet Central Asia to China, Kazakhstan's state gas transportation company KazTransGas said on Thursday.

The Central Asian pipeline network, launched in late 2009, spans about 2,000 km (1,250 miles) in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before entering China's northwestern Xinjiang region.

"Uzbekistan has expressed its willingness to switch to the pipeline," KazTransGas Director General Nurbol Sultan told Reuters. "They (Uzbekistan) have remote (natural gas) fields, which are being developed jointly with Chinese partners."

"They are ready to ship this gas via the same pipeline."

Turkmenistan, which holds the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves and where the network originates, is keen to diversify its gas exports away from traditional market Russia.

Turkmenistan to date remains the sole supplier of natural gas to the China-bound pipeline.

Sultan declined to say what volume of natural gas Uzbekistan could contribute to the regional pipeline running to China.

On April 1, Uzbekistan halted gas supplies to ex-Soviet Tajikistan next door, saying it needed to secure the fuel for exports to China.

Uzbekistan's move was largely seen as political pressure on less developed Tajikistan. Monthly volumes of Uzbek gas supplied to Tajikistan were equivalent to just about 10 percent of Uzbekistan's daily output. Uzbekistan resumed pumping natural gas to Tajikistan on April 16.

Sultan said Turkmenistan was set to supply 9 billion cubic metres (bcm) to the pipeline this year.

"In 2013, (Turkmen shipments) will rise to 10 bcm. The Turkmen side will supply annually 15 bcm starting 2014."

The China-bound pipeline had been originally expected to reach annual capacity of 30 bcm in 2012.

China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has said it plans to build more pipelines in Central Asia with local partners, intending to double the capacity of the gas pipe system to around 60 bcm by 2015.