ASHGABAT, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - Turkmenistan could boost annual gas output from the current 80 billion to 130 billion cubic meters in the near future, an official of the Central Asian republic's gas monopoly Turkmengaz said Wednesday.

In an interview with the newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan, Makhtumguly Khydyrov, director of the Turkmengaz oil and gas institute, said that the organization had drafted an investment project to develop the Southern Iolotan, which is expected to produce 20 billion cubic meters of gas annually in the first stage.

Khydyrov also said that investment projects to commission gas fields in the central Garagum desert and other areas will boost annual gas production by 30 billion cubic meters.

Turkmenistan currently produces about 80 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, with 20 billion cubic meters for export, 50 billion cubic meters purchased by Russia and 10 billion cubic meters bought by Iran. The Central Asian republic intends to start selling 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China from 2009.