On June 23, Ashgabat held the international scientific conference «Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan 2022» (OGT-2022). The forum was devoted to the topic «Environmental aspects of hydrocarbon resources extraction». More than 100 delegations took part in the event in person and online. It was reported by the state news agency «Turkmenistan today».
The conference was organized by the state companies «Turkmengas» and «Turkmennebit», the state corporation «Turkmengeologiya», event organizer «Turkmen Forum» and the British company GaffneyCline. It was broadcast in several dozen countries of the world.
The forum was divided into four sessions. The first one was dedicated to the transition to a new era of energy, the second one — to the potential of hydrogen as a fuel of the future, the third one — to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the fourth one — to financing clean energy.
The participants of the event were shown the programs on environmental protection of the leader of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov. It was noted that by the end of 2030, new gas chemical complexes will be built in the country. The emphasis will be placed on the establishment of hydrogen production.
Diego Ruiz Alonso, Ambassador of the European Union to Ashgabat, noted that the Turkmen government and the EU will hold a high-level meeting to discuss the issue of reducing methane emissions in the country. According to him, the authorities of Turkmenistan take their international obligations in the field of ecology very seriously. Negotiations at the level of diplomatic departments will take place in the second half of 2022. Particular attention within the meeting will be paid to new technologies for producing hydrogen.
Turkmen experts who took part in the scientific conference drew attention to the fact that Turkmenistan plans to achieve zero growth in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This will be done at the expense of state financial resources and foreign investment.
The country’s experts have already developed measures to save energy in the oil and gas sectors. Attention is paid to reducing leakages in the production of hydrocarbon resources. Gas distribution networks are being reconstructed, added specialists.
Dmitry Shlapachenko, the United Nations coordinator in Turkmenistan, said that the UN wants to assist Turkmenistan in the development of «green» technologies that will allow the country to significantly reduce methane emissions.
Manfredi Caltagirone, the head of the International Methane Emissions Observatory, said that IMEO is ready to provide Turkmen companies with methane emissions reporting protocols and hold workshops to improve greenhouse gas emissions reporting.
Narly Akmammedov, director of the Nebitgazylmytaslama Institute of the Turkmennebit state company, stressed that over 20 billion tons of oil and more than 50 trillion cubic meters of natural gas are currently located on the territory of Turkmenistan. Thus, the country owns the world’s fourth-largest known reserves of natural gas. The bigger gas reserves are in the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the State of Qatar.
He recalled that in January of this year, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov (who was the President of Turkmenistan at that time) gave an order to extinguish the Darvaza gas crater.
At the forum, meetings between representatives of the Turkmen fuel and energy complex and their foreign counterparts were held as well. They discussed specific vectors for further partnership.
