Expert Valentin Trapeznikov noted that Ashgabat and regional centers are transformed beyond recognition.
On March 29, an observer of the economy of Turkmenistan Valentin Trapeznikov within the interview to online media CentralAsia.news commented on the high pace of development of the construction industry and social infrastructure of Turkmenistan.
Transformation of the capital and regional centers
Following socio-economic programs, industrial enterprises are built, advanced transport and social infrastructure is formed, the scope of housing construction is expanding, and the power of the production base of building materials is growing in the country.
Ashgabat and regional centers are transformed beyond recognition, construction of modern cities and villages, a new administrative center of the Akhal province, the Ashgabat City megalopolis, settlements on the territory of the Turkmen Lake Altyn asyr, and many other objects are underway.
Over the past years, about 10 objects in the capital have been included in the Guinness Book of Records for their unique architecture and deep meaning. At the same time, an integrated approach is visible in the urban planning policy of the capital.
Housing, sanatoriums, and highways
October 2020 was marked by the opening of a complex of road infrastructure facilities, including a car tunnel, underground passages, and the Mahabat advertising monument, as well as the new Diwan hotel at the crossroads of S. Turkmenbashi and A. Niyazov avenues in the capital. The hotel houses 131 standard, suite, junior suite, and VIP rooms, two conference rooms, an internet room, as well as restaurants, shops, swimming pools and sports grounds, a health room, a fitness room, a beauty, and a SPA salon, and other premises.
In November, in the western part of Ashgabat, a landscaped area with magnificent high-rise 12-storey residential buildings, the necessary road and transport infrastructure, the original monument «Turkmen Alabai» in the center of the roundabout was erected. The shopping and entertainment center «Gül zemin» was built in the same part of the city. The large complex with social and cultural facilities was erected as part of the 16th stage of development of the capital.
Besides in November, near Ashgabat in the Akhal province, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov solemnly opened a modern sanatorium «Bagabat», located in the picturesque valley with the same name. Along with the new treatment and prophylactic center, a modern road leading to it was put into operation. At one of the intersections of the road, a stele «Saglyk» («Health») was erected. It embodies the creation of conditions for strengthening and preserving the health of the people.
In December, celebrations on the occasion of commissioning 23 four-story residential buildings, 9 two-story cottages, a comprehensive school for 600 places, as well as a multidisciplinary shopping center in the Bizmein district of the capital were held. In total, 738 families celebrated housewarming in spacious apartments with improved planning.
In the summer of 2020, a complex of leisure infrastructure facilities was commissioned on the shore of a lake in the Bagtyyarlyk district of the capital. On the same day, a new recreation area that meets modern standards of comfort and service received its first guests.
At the same time, within the framework of the implementation of the National Rural Program in the regions of the country, the construction of 15 modern villages continues at an accelerated pace.
Besides, the building of the roads that meet international standards connecting the capital with remote regions is underway. One of such facilities is the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway, which is planned to be commissioned in December 2023.
Use of domestic building
The production of basic building materials is growing dynamically. In 2020, the plan for the production of products and the provision of services in the construction and industrial sector was fulfilled by 118,4%. The highest growth rates over the previous year were achieved in the production of prefabricated reinforced concrete structures — 14,5%, nonmetallic building materials (11.3%), plastic and fiberglass pipes (45.8%), fittings, corners and profiles, expanded clay.
All of the above is based on an active investment policy. According to the Ministry of Industry and Construction Production, the annual target of 2020 for the development of investments was exceeded by more than 8.6 times
The infrastructure of the construction industry is developing as well. To fully provide it with cement products, as well as to increase its export potential, cement plants are currently built in Akhal and Lebap provinces with a capacity of 1 million tons of products per year.
The production of colored glass has been mastered at the Türkmen aýna önümleri enterprise. In 2020 alone, about half a million square meters of painted sheet glass were produced. The enterprise uses iron and cobalt oxides, manganese, nickel, and chromium oxides as dyes. Also, energy-saving tinted glass is obtained by using magnetron sputtering at the plant.
A significant contribution of the non-state sector
Representatives of the non-state sector of the national economy systematically strengthen their positions in the construction industry. One example of it is a ceramic materials factory in the Khalach etrap of the Lebap province. It is the first fully automated enterprise in the country focused on the production of a wide range of decorative products.
In December, in the Bagtyyarlyk etrap of the capital, a ceremony of commissioning an enterprise for the production of decorative metal structures with an annual capacity of 300 tons was held.
Mary IE «Ak hünji» has launched the production of new types of decorative parts with a protective coating of expanded polystyrene. Among them are several types of thermal panels and profiles, 18 types of architectural elements, and one type of false beam for the interior with imitation wood. In 2021, the enterprise will commission another workshop for the production of decorative ceiling profiles with an improved surface from extruded polystyrene foam with a capacity of 1.2 million running meters per year. The project is supported by the EBRD, which provided loans for the purchase of building materials and the purchase of innovative equipment from an Italian company.
The Türkmen enjam company in the Ak Bugday etrap of the Akhal province produces polyethylene and polypropylene water and sewer pipes with a diameter of 110-630 mm. In 2020, it manufactured 214 thousand meters of high-pressure polyethylene pipes with a diameter of 225 mm for the builders of the Turkmen section of the TAPI gas pipeline.
Several private enterprises for the production of a wide range of building materials are successfully operating in the Dashoguz province. Among them are mini-factories for the production of tiles and ceramic bricks, as well as for the production of decorative items of cast metal. Other construction industry facilities are also commissioned. These are an enterprise for the production of water-based paint and tile glue and a plant for reinforced concrete products with a capacity of 3 thousand cubic meters of products per year.
The export potential of the building materials industry is also growing, its products are supplied to many countries, including the closest neighbors, the CIS, and Baltic states.
The vast majority of the above facilities are built by domestic builders. It indicates the growth of their skills and qualifications. The active involvement of private structures in the construction business has led to a significant increase in the rate of construction of objects.
