Global Energy Markets (GLENMAR), a co-organizer of the Central Asia Oil and Gas Forum, lists a $5 billion estimate for a proposed five-country gas loop designed to improve cross-border routing.
The plan would connect natural-gas transmission systems in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. GLENMAR’s project description assigns $2 billion to new construction and $3 billion to pipeline modernization and digitalization, covering about 3,000 kilometers of new or upgraded lines.
In a February 2026 article for Petroleum, Askar Ismailov, an adviser on Central Asia at the Global Gas Centre, estimated a route of 3,000 to 3,500 kilometers and preliminary costs of $4 billion to $5 billion. He described the figure as a broad planning estimate and said a feasibility study had not yet been completed. The documents do not explain whether the differing route lengths reflect a change in scope.
Ismailov argues the proposal would address constraints in the Central Asia-Center pipeline system, built between 1967 and 1985 to carry gas north from the region. He says the system can operate in reverse, though its original design leaves those flows less capable and adaptable.
Existing trade links include Uzbekistan’s gas exports to Tajikistan. Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources reported imports of 126.377 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan in January-June 2026. The National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan reported natural-gas production of 24.2 billion cubic meters in January-August 2026, down from 28.9 billion cubic meters in the same period of 2025. That is a calculated decline of about 16.3%.
Ismailov expects the proposal to open export options for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, while making supplies steadier for the other three countries. Those are projected benefits, not confirmed outcomes. GLENMAR’s description divides the estimated spending by type of work but does not identify how the cost would be shared among governments or companies.
