Kazakhstan Lobbies $1.5Bln Gas Pipeline Project

Kazakhstan plans to double the capacity of the main gas pipeline from Central Asia to Russia, and wants the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to join the project, an official said Tuesday. Azat Bekturov, deputy department chief at state gas transportation firm KazTransGas, told reporters the $1.5 billion project aims to boost the annual capacity of the Central Asia-Center pipeline to 90 billion cubic meters from 45 bcm to 50 bcm. Bekturov said the Kazakh government planned to borrow funds to pay for the 10-year project. "We have a goal to work together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development," he said at the sidelines of an annual international oil and gas conference. "We hope for their weighty contribution to this project." He said the feasibility study would be ready by May next year. The Central Asia-Center pipeline now transports Turkmen natural gas which is sold mainly in Ukraine. Gazprom, which is the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe but also buys cheap Central Asian gas, clinched a vital gas deal with Turkmenistan earlier this year.