Oil and gas pipelines in Central Asia

Since the independence of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has struggled to transition from the infrastructure of the Soviet era to a network with diverse export routes. Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, as the main energy exporters of the region, have played an important role by developing transmission lines to China, Russia and Iran. However, the region's exports are still dependent on a few limited routes and new projects face many obstacles. Ukraine's attack on Kazakhstan's export terminal in Novorossiysk revealed the vulnerability of Russia's route and drew Kazakhstan's attention to the strengthening of China's route. Turkmenistan is also looking to create new routes. The war in Ukraine and developments in the Strait of Hormuz have also increased Europe's attention to the region's energy resources.

The three Turkmenistan-China gas pipelines (B, A and C) are the most important gas connection in the region. The annual capacity of lines A and B is 15 billion cubic meters each, and line C is about 25 billion cubic meters; Therefore, their total capacity reaches 55 billion cubic meters. These lines were launched between 2009 and 2014 and transport Turkmenistan's gas to China through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The cost of their construction is estimated between 14 and 20 billion dollars.

The Central Asia Network (CAC) also connects Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to Russia, and the nominal capacity of its main part is 60 billion cubic meters per year. However, the purchase of Turkmen gas by Gazprom has been stopped in the middle of 2024. A part of the network will be used to transfer Russian gas to Uzbekistan from 2023, the volume of which will reach 5.6 billion cubic meters in 2024.

Iran and Turkmenistan also have two gas lines: Karbcha-Kordkoi with an annual capacity of 8 billion cubic meters, built in 1997, and Daulatabad-Sarkhos-Khangiran with a capacity of 12.5 billion cubic meters, launched in 2010. The total nominal capacity of these two lines is 20 billion cubic meters, but their use in recent years has been less than the design capacity.

The region's most important oil export route is the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which transports oil from western Kazakhstan via Russia to Novorossiysk. This 1511 km long line was launched in 2001. Its development during 2011-2017, with an investment of 5.4 billion dollars, increased the capacity to about 1.6 million barrels per day. Its average daily export in 2024 was about 1.25 million barrels. The attacks in Ukraine have revealed the vulnerability of this route.

Atyrau-Samara and Konkyak-Orsk lines also play a role in Kazakhstan's oil exports to Russia. The first line, with a capacity of 350,000 barrels per day, transported about 200,000 barrels of oil per day in 2024; But the second line, whose historical capacity was 135,000 barrels per day, needs restoration.

The Kazakhstan-China pipeline is an alternative route for oil exports to the East. The Atasu-Alashenko route was launched in 2006 and its capacity reached 400,000 barrels per day. In 2024, about 1.2 million tons of Kazakh oil and 10 million tons of Russian oil were exported to China through this route. Also, the capacity of the Konkiak-Qumkol line, launched in 2009, is supposed to increase to 400,000 barrels per day.

The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is the most important gas project in South Central Asia. This line is designed with a length of 1814 km and an annual capacity of 33 billion cubic meters. Its Turkmenistan section has been completed and the construction of the Afghanistan section has started in 2024. The start of gas transfer has been announced for 2027, but the completion of the route is still uncertain.

The D line project of the Central Asia-China network is also supposed to increase the gas export capacity of the region by 30 billion cubic meters annually by passing through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Several problems have delayed its implementation, however, the project is still on.

The Trans-Caspian pipeline has also been proposed to transfer Turkmen gas from the Caspian Sea to the Republic of Azerbaijan and then the Southern Corridor, but this plan has not yet been built.

The pipeline network of Central Asia is diversifying, but Kazakhstan is still highly dependent on oil exports to Russia and Turkmenistan on gas exports to China. New projects are designed with the aim of accessing the markets of South Asia, China and Europe; However, financing, route security, market access and geopolitical considerations are still the most important barriers to diversifying energy exports in the region.