EU says Turkmenistan guarantees gas supplies

Turkmenistan has agreed to supply the European Union with 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas from next year, EU officials said Monday.

The agreement will help the EU reduce its reliance of gas imported from Russia.
EU spokeswoman Christine Hohmann said Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov committed to supply the gas last week when senior European officials visited the Central Asian nation.

Demand for gas in the 27-nation EU is expected to reach 536 billion cubic meters by 2010 and 619 billion by 2020.

The EU estimates that imports are expected to represent 85 percent of its gas consumption by 2030, compared to 50 percent in 2000 as it switches power generation away from more polluting coal and oil.

International Herald Tribune