Turkmenistan has launched work on a new gas pipeline that will connect the hydrocarbon-rich Central Asian country with western markets and decrease its reliance on Russia's delivery network. The pipeline - dubbed East-West - will stretch 1,000 kilometers from the Southern Yolotan-Osman field near Afghanistan and carry up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to the Caspian Sea, wrote Bloomberg.
President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov said Monday that the $2 billion pipeline will give both economic and political clout to the country and help secure global energy security after its scheduled completion in 2015. The new Turkmen pipeline could become a crucial move in Europe's drive to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
