A high-ranking Turkmen official spoke again this week about the prospects of exporting gas directly to European markets via the Trans-Caspian pipeline, but with a lack of enthusiasm that probably should have worried Brussels, Eurasianet reported.

Speaking at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, or ADIPEC, Shahim Abdrakhmanov, deputy prime minister in charge of oil and gas, said the idea of building the TPC is not off the table.

Turkmenistan supplies energy through major gas export pipelines to the north, which is Russia, to the east, which is China, and also Iran. And now we are building the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline. The implementation of the TAPI will relieve pressure from the Asian markets, and the released volumes can be redirected to the European market," Abdrakhmanov was quoted as saying by RIA-Novosti.

Another priority, according to the deputy prime minister of Turkmenistan, is the development of domestic energy infrastructure, such as the 800-kilometer East-West gas pipeline linking all of the country's gas fields, which is now under construction.

Last week, there were more encouraging words from Batyr Amanov, chairman of the state gas company Turkmengaz, who spoke of hopes for exports to Europe.

Turkmenistan is a reliable gas exporter and a key player on the global energy scene, and it has great prospects for natural gas supplies toward Europe, he said at an oil and gas conference in Ashgabat. However, the remarks were evasive.

In a somewhat unexpected way, Turkmenistan is finding that it has gas consumers, albeit buying modest quantities, among its closest neighbors. During his visit to Ashgabat last month, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made it clear that he would like to start importing Turkmen gas. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said earlier in October, when Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov was visiting Astana, that his country is interested in reaching a long-term agreement to import 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Turkmenistan

Kyrgyz Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibraev said his government is in talks with Turkmenistan to buy 350 billion cubic meters of gas and 2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in addition.

This is more than a little disconcerting because Ibraev said in April that a June 2021 deal to import 270 million cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan fell through because it was deemed "economically unprofitable." It is possible that now something similar to what happened last time will happen again: the gas will be transferred to Uzbekistan, which will then compensate Kyrgyzstan with a financially equivalent amount of electricity, which is already the biggest concern for Bishkek. But this is pure speculation.

Berdymukhamedov signed a decree Oct. 28 authorizing increased electricity supplies to Uzbekistan. Turkmen state media reports did not mention the volume or amount of money, but an Uzbek presidential spokesman said last month that Tashkent expects to purchase 4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from Turkmenistan.

Afghanistan and Iran are other countries that currently buy electricity from Turkmenistan.

Even though the issue of the Trans-Caspian pipeline may be somewhat hidden, it does not mean that there is not some activity around the energy potential of the sea. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are reportedly actively discussing the possibility of involving the Russian energy giant LUKOIL in joint exploration of an underwater hydrocarbon field that was once a source of contention between them.

It became something of a major breakthrough in early 2021, when Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan finally, after decades of low-level hostility, gave up their exclusive claims to the field, known variously as Dostlug (Druzhba), and decided to act together.

Speaking at the Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona on Oct. 28, Azerbaijani Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov made it clear that LUKOIL could indeed take the initiative to develop the field.

Azerbaijan is preparing for closer cooperation with Turkmenistan in other areas. The Russian news agency Voice of the CIS reported on October 27 that Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR is ready to open an office in Ashgabat.

This news was reported by Emin Alekperov, deputy head of the SOCAR Science and Technology Department, who intriguingly answered the question of the "Voice of the CIS" about the prospects of the Trans-Caspian pipeline.