The 773-kilometer East-West pipeline connects Turkmenistan's gas fields in the east to its Caspian coast / Image from mpe.kmu.gov.ua
Turkmenistan has officially launched a new East-West gas pipeline, which may be used in future as a route to ship Turkmen gas to Europe, bypassing Russia, according to Ukraine's Energy and Coal Industry Ministry.
President of Turkmenistan Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov participated in an official ribbon-cutting ceremony in the small town of Belek near the shores of the Caspian Sea, which was attended by Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn.
The new infrastructure opens up new opportunities for exporting Turkmen gas to Europe and will undoubtedly have an impact on the geopolitical alignment in that region, the Ukrainian ministry forecasts.
"The Ukrainian side is greatly interested in the implementation of long-term joint projects aimed at the diversification of the supply of energy resources from Turkmenistan's territory to countries of Europe, namely to Ukraine," the ministry said.
The launch of the new gas pipeline is a strategically important prospect for Ukraine in ensuring its energy stability and independence on Russian energy resources.
The 773-kilometer East-West pipeline connects Turkmenistan's gas fields in the east to its Caspian coast. It is hoped the $2.5 billion project will once be linked to the proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline (TCP).