Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT1243
2009-09-29 12:03:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: NO PROGRESS ON CASPIAN LITTORAL PIPELINE
how-toVZCZCXRO6889 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHAH #1243 2721203 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 291203Z SEP 09 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3534 INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5724 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3439 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3303 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3967 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1172 RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3947 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001243
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB; NEA/IR
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/BURPOE/COHEN
COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET PGOV EINV BTIO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: NO PROGRESS ON CASPIAN LITTORAL PIPELINE
REF: ASHGABAT 640
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001243
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB; NEA/IR
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/BURPOE/COHEN
COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET PGOV EINV BTIO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: NO PROGRESS ON CASPIAN LITTORAL PIPELINE
REF: ASHGABAT 640
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (SBU) The Turkmen government seems to have made little progress
on the Caspian Littoral Pipeline project since President
Berdimuhamedov's visit to Moscow in March. The pipeline project,
also known as the Pre-Caspian Pipeline, is supposed to link
Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to Russia and to carry between 30 and 40
billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkmen and Kazakh gas. The
presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan signed the
Littoral Pipeline Construction Agreement in December 2007. Russia
and Turkmenistan have both ratified this agreement, but Turkmenistan
has not. There has not been any significant progress on the
implementation of this project in any of the three countries since
the agreement was signed.
3. (SBU) The Turkmen government has publicly mentioned the Caspian
Littoral Pipeline project only twice since March: first, in
President Berdimuhamedov's speech during Russian President
Medvedev's and Kazakh President Nazarbayev's visit to Turkmenistan
on September 13, and second, in President Berdimuhamedov's speech at
the U.S. - Turkmenistan business forum on September 22 in New York.
At the U.S. - Turkmenistan business forum, the Turkmen president
mentioned the project along with the Nabucco and
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline projects,
pointing out that these projects are in the development stages.
4. (SBU) Moreover, the GOTX has yet to announce the results of the
tender for construction of its East-West pipeline (reftel),although
it has been two months since the tender proposals submission
deadline. The East-West Pipeline was planned in order to supply gas
from Turkmenistan's eastern gas fields to the Caspian Littoral
Pipeline, although it could also be tied into a Trans-Caspian route.
A Ministry of Oil and Gas official told Embassy staff that there is
currently no movement regarding either the Caspian Littoral Pipeline
or the East-West Pipeline in the Ministry, but opined that these
projects may be "bargaining chips" in the on-going gas negotiations
between Gazprom and Turkmengaz.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: Currently, there is no real reason to believe
that Turkmenistan will move on the Caspian Littoral Pipeline project
any time soon, especially since Turkmengaz and Gazprom reportedly
discussed a significant decrease in gas exports from Turkmenistan to
Russia in 2010. The implementation of the East-West pipeline is
also likely to be delayed as long as the fate of the Caspian
Littoral Pipeline remains uncertain, leaving no west-bound options
for the export of significant Turkmen gas volumes at present. END
COMMENT
CURRAN
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; EEB; NEA/IR
ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/BURPOE/COHEN
COMMERCE FOR EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET PGOV EINV BTIO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: NO PROGRESS ON CASPIAN LITTORAL PIPELINE
REF: ASHGABAT 640
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (SBU) The Turkmen government seems to have made little progress
on the Caspian Littoral Pipeline project since President
Berdimuhamedov's visit to Moscow in March. The pipeline project,
also known as the Pre-Caspian Pipeline, is supposed to link
Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to Russia and to carry between 30 and 40
billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkmen and Kazakh gas. The
presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan signed the
Littoral Pipeline Construction Agreement in December 2007. Russia
and Turkmenistan have both ratified this agreement, but Turkmenistan
has not. There has not been any significant progress on the
implementation of this project in any of the three countries since
the agreement was signed.
3. (SBU) The Turkmen government has publicly mentioned the Caspian
Littoral Pipeline project only twice since March: first, in
President Berdimuhamedov's speech during Russian President
Medvedev's and Kazakh President Nazarbayev's visit to Turkmenistan
on September 13, and second, in President Berdimuhamedov's speech at
the U.S. - Turkmenistan business forum on September 22 in New York.
At the U.S. - Turkmenistan business forum, the Turkmen president
mentioned the project along with the Nabucco and
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline projects,
pointing out that these projects are in the development stages.
4. (SBU) Moreover, the GOTX has yet to announce the results of the
tender for construction of its East-West pipeline (reftel),although
it has been two months since the tender proposals submission
deadline. The East-West Pipeline was planned in order to supply gas
from Turkmenistan's eastern gas fields to the Caspian Littoral
Pipeline, although it could also be tied into a Trans-Caspian route.
A Ministry of Oil and Gas official told Embassy staff that there is
currently no movement regarding either the Caspian Littoral Pipeline
or the East-West Pipeline in the Ministry, but opined that these
projects may be "bargaining chips" in the on-going gas negotiations
between Gazprom and Turkmengaz.
5. (SBU) COMMENT: Currently, there is no real reason to believe
that Turkmenistan will move on the Caspian Littoral Pipeline project
any time soon, especially since Turkmengaz and Gazprom reportedly
discussed a significant decrease in gas exports from Turkmenistan to
Russia in 2010. The implementation of the East-West pipeline is
also likely to be delayed as long as the fate of the Caspian
Littoral Pipeline remains uncertain, leaving no west-bound options
for the export of significant Turkmen gas volumes at present. END
COMMENT
CURRAN