Expert Ilyasov said that the focus is made on the use of modern technologies.
Environmental protection plays a particularly important role in modern society due to the rapid industrial and technological progress. Realizing the importance of the relevant issues, the authorities of Turkmenistan take concrete measures to maintain the ecological balance in the country. Allaberdy Ilyasov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, reegular expert of CentralAsia.news, touched upon the relevant topic.
Industrial ecology
The problem of rational use of natural resources, prevention of environmental pollution, and, consequently, the problem of sustainable development of modern civilization, ensuring the satisfaction of the needs of society, but not endangering future generations, can be solved only through the formation of a new approach to the organization and functioning of industrial production and the economic system as a whole.
Industrial ecology is in the center of this approach. Nature protection during exploration, production and processing of minerals, exploration, drilling and development of oil and gas fields should be carried out on a unified scientific basis using an integrated systematic approach.
Environmental threats
Most of the oil and gas companies in the world objectively assess the potential environmental risks within their activities and take steps to prevent negative impacts and ensure environmental safety. Industrial and technological progress, an increase in consumption rates, and a disregard for safety requirements lead to the emergence of environmental threats, the impact of which is sometimes irreversible. One of such consequence is global climate change caused, among other things, by the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In addition, the introduction of environmentally oriented models into the economy is a significant factor that increases the investment attractiveness of the country.
Oil and gas industry of Turkmenistan
The oil and gas industry is a key part of the economy of Turkmenistan. Our country has the largest natural hydrocarbon resources. Exploration and production facilities, as well as transport systems (oil and gas pipelines) play an important role in the activities of the oil and gas complex.
Oil and gas enterprises have a complex, multi-level infrastructure for production, storage, transportation, processing and distribution of oil and gas, extremely distributed over vast territories, very often under difficult natural and climatic conditions. The management of such an economy is impossible without constant and comprehensive monitoring of processes and phenomena occurring in the territory, control of all types of economic activities related to subsoil use.
Nature protection
Along with the introduction of the latest technologies, Turkmenistan pays great attention to the compliance of its products with environmental safety requirements. Protecting and improving the environment for present and future generations has become the most important goal of humanity.
Here is an example. When planning projects for the construction of new installations at the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries in accordance with the requirements of the legislation of Turkmenistan, specialists of a foreign company Westport Trading Europe Limited, a long-term partner of Turkmenistan in the oil and gas sector, assess the potential impact of the technological facility on the environment: environmental monitoring, including measurement and analysis of emissions of pollutants and atmospheric air are carried out. Monitoring of surface, ground waters and soils, control of biodiversity conservation, including the conservation of animal migration routes are realized as well.
Based on the results of these studies, if necessary, measures on reducing the impact of production activities are developed and implemented. During the construction of oil and gas facilities, such priorities of environmental activities as neutralization, disposal of hazardous waste by creating various types of environmental facilities — facilities for the treatment of industrial and domestic wastewater, gas and dust collection equipment, deep processing of oil and gas and chemical waste, replacement of energy and resource-intensive equipment, provision of external and internal control, development of resource-saving and low-waste production technologies are taken into account.
Innovation
Today, the need for further development of the innovation system in subsoil use, the desire for a new quality of economic growth necessitates the improvement of existing approaches to the development of an innovation system in subsoil use are rising. One of the priority activities of innovative technologies in the oil and gas industry should be a constant increase in the level of industrial safety of production, ensuring healthy and safe working conditions for personnel, as well as reducing the negative impact on the environment.
The innovative nature of the implemented projects serves as an effective alternative to standard methods of oil and gas field development, which require large investments. The task of humanity is to make active efforts to save the biosphere, atmosphere, and earth’s interior. Consistent implementation of the environmental policy of Turkmenistan, in particular, measures to modernize industrial facilities, ensures a confident, dynamic development of the national economy. The natural resources of the Earth, including air, water, land, flora, fauna, and especially representative samples of natural ecosystems, must be preserved.
Environmental policy of Turkmenistan
The strategic goal in the field of environmental policy of the Turkmen state is to solve problems that ensure environmentally oriented economic growth, preservation of natural resources, as well as strengthening the rule of law in the field of environmental protection. These are the initiatives of the leader of the nation which perfectly correspond to the policy of the global development, the protection of the ecosystems of the globe. In the modern history of the country, a number of laws have been adopted in the field of nature protection — «On environmental safety», «On nature protection», «On environmental expertise», «On chemical safety», «On environmental audit» and other regulatory documents.
The basis for the successful solution of environmental problems and the prevention of environmental disasters is the stability of the socio-economic system of any state. And here environmental safety is a prerequisite for sustainable development and serves as the basis for the preservation of natural systems and maintaining the appropriate quality of the environment. And the diversification of all sectors of the national economy has become the foundation for a change in attitudes towards the use of natural resources of economic development, taking into account the preservation of the environment.
