President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov congratulated workers of the fuel and energy complex and geologists with their professional holiday annually marked on second Saturday of September. As the Ashgabat correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reports, the address of the head of state was published in all central newspapers of the country.

Turning to oil and gas men and geologists, the president described the oil and gas, power engineering and geological sector of the country “as one of the most important and significant”, stressing that its successes contribute to the prosperity of the Motherland.

Natural gas and electricity remain to be free in the country along with low prices for gasoline and other kinds of fuel. Everything that has very high values in the world, our people get either free of charge or at symbolic prices. It is all, the message says, is a result of the state’s concern for its people.

“Possessing vast reserves of oil and gas, wide possibilities for production of electricity Turkmenistan uses its riches for the benefit of not only the Turkmen people but the whole humanity”, says Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. He also underlines that “in addition to free supply of electricity to the Turkmen people, Turkmenistan is turning into the country with large opportunities for exports of electric power”.

Speaking about the plans of development of the Turkmen energy sector, the president expressed hope that workers of the industry will make their worthy contribution in realization of projects on exporting energy to the world markets. “Work on construction of East-Caspian gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan-Russia, and gas pipeline Turkmenistan-China, and reconstruction of the existing ones is in full sing. We also support the construction of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India, Transcaspian and other export routes for Turkmen natural gas”, the address says.

“I thank workers of the oil and gas, power engineering and geological industry for maintaining Turkmenistan’s reputation as honest and reliable partner strictly and undeviatingly fulfilling the state’s assumed obligations as an energy supplier and successfully implementing these tasks”, the Turkmen leader’s message says.

The achievements and growth rates of Turkmenistan’s energy sector were touched upon at the scientific-practical conference held yesterday, which opened a series of holiday activities marking the Day of workers of oil and gas, power and geological industry.

According to the Turkmen State News Agency (TDH), the members of the Cabinet of Ministers, top officials of the national parliament, ministries and departments, leading specialists of enterprises of oil and gas industry, power engineering industry workers and geologists and their foreign partners – representatives of major oil and gas companies successfully operating in the Turkmen market attended the conference.

The reports stressed that with gaining of independence the oil and gas sector received mighty incentive for the development. During these years, over 30 new oil and gas deposits have been discovered. Ten of them are under industrial development. Work on strengthening the raw materials basis of the oil and gas complex is being continued. Promising structures and deep horizons of south-western fields – Korpedje, Akpatawuk, Shatut, Nebitlije, Ekerem, in Mary province – oil and gas bearing areas Southern Iolotan and Osman, where vast deposits of natural gas were discovered during the exploration drilling, and of course the right bank of the Amudarya River, where the gas pipeline Turkmenistan-China has been started in late August.
In the participants’ opinion, mutually beneficial international cooperation in all areas of the sector acquires special importance in realization of Turkmenistan’s long term energy strategy. It includes exploration and development of deposits of hydrocarbon raw materials, large-scale development of the richest hydrocarbon resources in the Turkmen shelf of the Caspian Sea, modernization of processing capacity, development of pipeline infrastructure, introduction of the newest technologies and modern equipment.

The “open door” policy of Turkmenistan and the existing legal framework and preferential taxation policies have created favorable conditions for the foreign business to operate in the country, the conference pointed out.