Central Asia–Center Gas Pipeline

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Central Asia-Center Gas Pipeline, CAC (Russian: Магистральный Газопровод Средняя Азия - Центр, САЦ) is an operating gas pipeline in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Location

CAC-2, 4, 5

The pipelines start at the Dauletabad Gas Field, Mary Province, Turkmenistan, and run to Voskresensk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. From Alexandrov Gai, Russia, two lines run northwest to Moscow, and the third line continues along the same route as CAC-3.

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CAC-3

The pipeline runs from Okarem, Balkan region, Turkmenistan, to Beyneu, Mangystay region, Kazakhstan (Okarem-Beyneu Gas Pipeline), and further to Gubkin, Belogorodsk Oblast, Russia.

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Project Details

CAC-2

• Operator: Turkmengaz, Intergas Central Asia, Gazprom, Uztransgaz
• Owner: Gazprom
• Parent Company: Gazprom
• Capacity: 60.2 bcm/year (total for the pipeline)
• Length: 2,662 km
• Diameter: 1,015 mm, 1,220 mm
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 1970
• Cost:
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure: Makat-North Caucasus Pipeline, Orenburg-Novopskov Gas Pipeline, Soyuz Gas Pipeline, Dauletabad Gas Field, Shatlyk Gas Field

CAC-3

• Operator: Turkmengaz, Intergas Central Asia, Gazprom, Uztransgaz
• Owner: Gazprom
• Parent Company: Gazprom
• Capacity: 5 bcm/year
• Length: 3,600 km (total), 2,600 km (without the Okarem-Beyneu segment)
• Diameter: 1,220 mm
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 1975
• Cost:
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure: Makat-North Caucasus Pipeline, Okarem-Beyneu gas pipeline

CAC-4

• Operator: Turkmengaz, Intergas Central Asia, Gazprom, Uztransgaz
• Owner: Gazprom
• Parent Company: Gazprom
• Capacity: 60.2 bcm/year (total for the pipeline)
• Length: 3,700 km
• Diameter: 1,420 mm
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 1976
• Cost:
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure: Makat-North Caucasus Pipeline, Dowletabat-Deryalyk Gas Pipeline, Dauletabad Gas Field, Shatlyk Gas Field

CAC-5

• Operator: Turkmengaz, Intergas Central Asia, Gazprom, Uztransgaz
• Owner: Gazprom
• Parent Company: Gazprom
• Capacity: 60.2 bcm/year (total for the pipeline)
• Length:
• Diameter: 1,220 mm, 1,420 mm
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 1985
• Cost:
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure: Makat-North Caucasus Pipeline, Dauletabad Gas Field, Shatlyk Gas Field

Background

The Central Asia-Center (CAC) Gas Pipeline System was built between 1960 and 1988. The system consists of gas pipelines, which run from Turkmenistan via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to Russia. The pipeline system is connected via Makat-North Caucasus Gas Pipeline to the Caucasus and via Okarem-Beyneu Gas Pipeline to western regions of Turkmenistan.

The eastern branch includes CAC-2, 4 and 5 gas pipelines, which start from the south-eastern gas fields of Turkmenistan. CAC-1 was retired due technical issues. The western branch consists of the CAC-3 gas pipeline. Almost all Uzbek and Turkmen natural gas is delivered through the CAC pipeline system, mainly through the eastern branch due to location of production sites and poor technical condition of the western branch.

After the collapse of USSR, the successor states signed multiple contracts on cooperation in maintaining existing gas infrastructure, including the newly transboundary Central Asia–Center Gas Pipeline. The main function of the pipeline is to transport Turkmen gas from Dauletabad and Okarem gas fields to Russia. However, there have been disagreements between Russia and Turkmenistan that occasionally led to the halt in the operations of the pipeline, most recently in 2016. The gas supply resumed in 2019.

Operation in a reverse mode

In spring 2023, Gazprom and QazaqGaz/Intergas Central Asia (ICA) held a meeting at which the parties signed an action plan to prepare the Central Asia-Center Gas Pipeline to transport Russian gas to Uzbekistan. The plan includes development of a combined dedicated route with a length of 823 km and a gas transportation capacity of 6.5 bcm/year, with the potential to increase to 10 bcm/year. To facilitate this gas transit, extensive work was carried out in the Kazakhstan's western region, which involved major overhaul of 14 sections of the CAC-4/ CAC-5 gas pipelines with a total length of 823 km. The technical launch of gas transit through the combined dedicated route from Russia began in October 2023 via the CAC-4 and CAC-5 gas pipelines.

Route

The eastern branch starts from the Dauletabad Gas Field in Turkmenistan and continues through the Shatlyk Gas Field east of Tejen, Turkmenistan, to Khiva, Uzbekistan. From there the pipeline system transports gas north-west along Amu Darya to the Kungrad compressor station in Uzbekistan. From Kungrad, most of the gas is carried via Kazakhstan to Beyneu, Kazakhstan, before crossing the Kazakhstan-Russia border in Alexandrov Gai in Russia. The Turkmen segment of CAC-4 includes Dowletabat-Deryalyk Gas Pipeline and Naiyp-Deryalyk Gas Pipeline.

The western branch originates in Okarem on the Caspian Sea coast of Turkmenistan near the Turkmenistan–Iran border and runs north via Okarem-Beyneu Gas Pipeline. It is supplied by gas from fields scattered along the Caspian coast between Ekerem and Balkanabat. The pipeline continues via Uzen in Kazakhstan to the Beyneu compressor station (Okarem-Beyneu gas pipeline), where it meets the eastern branch of the CAC.

CAC-2 and CAC-4 have looping pipelines.

In Alexandrov Gai, the CAC pipelines meet with Soyuz and Orenburg–Novopskov gas pipelines. From there two lines run northwest to Moscow, Russia, and two others proceed across the Volga river to the North Caucasus-Moscow transmission system. It is unclear which pipelines of the eastern branch run to Moscow.