ASHGABAT, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - A study by an international energy advisory firm has rated Turkmenistan's southern Yolotan-Osman gas field as having the world's fourth or fifth largest natural gas reserves, national TV said on Tuesday.

British firm, Gaffney, Cline & Associates, said that the south Yolotan-Osman gas field was given three estimates "low," "best" and "high" which put the reserves at between 4 and 14 trillion cubic meters.

A GCA representative told a cabinet meeting in Turkmenistan that more information was required, but that the independent study had revealed that "sufficient gas is available to fulfill" Turkmenistan's contracts, the NewsCentralAsia.net website reported.

A "best" estimate - of around 6 trillion cu m - would indicate reserves at five times more than the country's largest deposit at Dauletabad. A "low" rating would put reserves at around 4 trillion cu m while a "high estimates" rating would indicate reserves of 14 trillion cu m.

Turkmenistan is the second largest natural gas producer in the post-Soviet space after Russia. Turkmenistan's natural gas reserves are estimated at 22 trillion cubic meters, the fifth largest in the world.

The Central Asian country is considered a potential gas supplier for the Western-backed Nabucco pipeline project designed to bypass Russia and pump up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Central Asia to Europe via Azerbaijan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria.