The year 1966, when the large Ojak gas condensate field was commissioned, is considered the year of the foundation of the gas industry of Turkmenistan. Over the past six decades, great progress has been made in this industry.

Currently, the gas sector, which is the main part of the fuel and energy complex, accounts for more than half of the industrial production of Turkmenistan. Today, as a result of the development of the gas industry and the widespread use of natural gas in various sectors of the national economy, we are witnessing a radical transformation of the economy of our country. 

The resources of the Galkynyş gas field, which is one of the largest gas fields in the world, together with the Yaşlar and Karaköl fields, are estimated at 27 trillion cubic meters. This makes it possible to ensure the country’s energy independence and to strengthen its position in the global energy market. The commissioning of the Galkynyş gas field brought Turkmenistan to the fourth place in the world in proven natural gas resources after the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Qatar. 

Today, this gas field is a reliable guarantee of raw material supplies for international projects, including the Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan–China transnational gas pipeline and the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India international gas pipeline. 

Currently, this largest gas field is being successfully developed within the framework of specific projects jointly with foreign companies. In the future, the number of wells and gas production will be increased. According to scientists, with the implementation of seven stages of the industrialization of the Galkynyş field, the production of “blue fuel” at the entire field will reach 200 billion cubic meters a year. 

Possessing an enormous energy potential, our country is consistently forming a universal structure for the supply of environmentally friendly fuel to the world market, and the projects implemented in the gas sector play an important role in ensuring energy security in the region and the world. 

Among the main factors of Turkmenistan’s attractiveness for foreign investors, one can note the economic and political stability of the country and the quality of the legislative framework. They guarantee that Turkmenistan is a reliable partner in cooperation and stipulate investment in the oil and gas sector. 

A successful example of mutually beneficial cooperation can be called the transnational gas pipeline Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan–China, launched in December 2009. This pipeline allows exporting 40 billion cubic meters of “blue fuel” annually to the friendly country along three lines (A, B and C). With the commissioning of the fourth line of this gas pipeline in the near future, its capacity will increase by another 25 billion cubic meters a year. 

The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project is of great geopolitical and geo-economic importance. The new energy bridge will not only ensure the long-term transportation of Turkmen natural gas to the largest countries of South Asia, but will also promote cooperation among the countries of the region, develop their economic potential, strengthen peace in the region and create thousands of new jobs. 

Currently, Turkmenistan exports natural gas to China and the Russian Federation. In addition, in January 2022, the trilateral agreement on gas supplies under the Swap scheme, signed between Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan in December 2021, entered into force. 

The gas sector is one of the main areas of the Turkmen-Iranian economic cooperation. During the talks between the National Leader of the Turkmen People Hero-Arkadag and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, held at the end of August as part of a working visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said the Turkmen party intended to increase the volume of gas supplies to Iran to 40 billion cubic meters a year. 

In this regard, it is planned to build two new gas compressors and a new 125-km gas pipeline on the territory of Turkmenistan. This will allow an additional volume of Turkmen natural gas, sent to Iran, to be supplied to the Chaloyuk gas metering unit. During the conversation, it was said that in the near future, Turkmen natural gas would be sent through the IRI to the Republic of Iraq and then to Türkiye using a Swap method. 

After the negotiations, a number of documents were signed, including a Memorandum of Understanding between the Türkmengaz State Concern and the National Gas Company of Iran on the development of cooperation in the field of natural gas. 

Given the current situation on the global energy market, most European countries are taking a new look at their energy security. In this regard, the importance of organizing the export of Turkmen natural gas to Europe is increasing. In this regard, the business trip of the President of Turkmenistan to Hungary in August last year vividly demonstrated the great demand for Turkmen energy resources in European markets. 

In recent years, the gas processing industry of our country has been continuously developing due to the commissioning of new plants. Particular importance is attached to the creation of high-tech enterprises that carry out the thorough processing of gas raw materials. Positive results are achieved in terms of increasing production volumes, expanding the types of products and bringing them into line with world standards. 

Natural gas processing is a strategic task and a major national project for Turkmenistan, which will ensure an increase in the country’s export potential, its diversification and the development of new world markets. The development of domestic gas chemical production gives an innovative character to the further development of the economy. In this regard, large facilities, built in our country in recent years on the initiative of the Hero-Arkadag such as a plant for the production of gasoline from gas in Ahal and a polymer plant in Giyanly in the Balkan velayat, are of great importance. 

Huge resources of natural gas allow Turkmenistan to maintain a worthy place among the leading countries of the world. The increasing share of the deep processing of natural gas, based on new technologies, and the possibility of attracting revenues for these purposes from the growth of the export potential of the gas industry make it a powerful force contributing to the rapid development of innovative reforms in the country. 

Today, the global gas chemical market proves that the main economic result is achieved through the sale of the finished end product. Expanded gas processing makes it possible to produce goods with high added value. 

Attracting foreign investors with the most modern technologies and many years of experience in the gas processing and gas chemical industries is an important task today. Examples of the construction of a plant producing gasoline from natural gas in Ahal and a polymer production plant in Giyanly show that Turkmenistan has accumulated rich experience in this regard in recent years. 

The plant for the production of environmentally friendly gasoline ECO-93 was built by the Türkmengaz State Concern jointly with a consortium of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (Japan) and Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri Inşaat Sanaýi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Türkiye). This industrial complex was included in the Guinness World Records as “the world’s first plant for the production of gasoline from natural gas”. The polymer plant in Giyanly was built by the corporations LG International Corp and Hyundai Engineering (Republic of Korea) with the participation of TOYO Engineering Corporation (Japan).

The development of the gas chemical industry in the country and ultimately the production of a wide range of chemicals on its basis can be considered an important factor in diversifying the sources of income of the national economy and overall economic development. 

New large-scale projects aimed at developing the oil and gas sector and its integration into the international energy system are being implemented within the framework of the Program “Revival of the New Era of the Powerful State: The National Program of the Socioeconomic Development of Turkmenistan in 2022–2052”. Its important areas are the construction of innovative hydrocarbon processing facilities, the diversification of the export potential of the fuel and energy complex and the creation of a multi-vector pipeline system for transporting energy resources. To implement the plans, it is necessary to build specialized complexes for processing natural gas and to develop the industrialization of promising fields using digital technologies, modern equipment and software. 

Within the framework of the national program, it is planned to gradually increase the capacity of the Turkmenistan–China gas pipeline, to lay the TAPI gas pipeline, to commission new fields and to build commercial gas plants and gas compressor stations. Complexes for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene, rubber and other products will be built in the regions of the country. 

The active attraction of foreign investments and companies to solve high-level tasks is one of the main directions of the state strategy in the fuel and energy sector. In this area, a favorable investment environment and long-term mutually beneficial cooperation in the energy sector are being created. Currently, Turkmenistan has established active ties with large foreign companies with advanced technologies, financial institutions and international organizations. 

These include the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which is participating in the development of the large Galkynyş gas field and is exploring and developing the Bagtyýarlyk contractual territory based on a production sharing agreement. 

It should be noted that our country has a thoughtful approach to the use of natural resources, constantly cares about environment protection, implements important international initiatives on energy security in the region and the world and attaches great importance to compliance with environmental safety standards at industrial facilities. 

Today, as a result of the thoughtful and far-sighted policy of the Hero-Arkadag and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, our natural resources are directed to strengthening the economy of the Motherland and ensuring a happy and prosperous life for our people. 

In the first autumn days of the year “Fount of Wisdom Magtymguly Pyragy”, on the eve of the 33rd anniversary of Turkmenistan’s Independence Day, remarkable events took place, in particular, the ceremonies of the opening and start of construction of a number of infrastructure facilities, such as the opening of the Serhetabat–Torghundi steel railway bridge on the Turkmen-Afghan border, the laying of the foundation of the Şatlyk-1 gas compressor station in the Mary velayat and the start of construction of the Serhetabat–Herat section, which is an important stage in the implementation of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) transnational gas pipeline project, and the Serhetabat–Herat fiber-optic communication line, were held.  

Source: «Nebit-gaz» newspaper