OREANDA-NEWS. December 10, 2009. The liquefied petroleum gas sea terminal was put into operation in Kiyanly on the Caspian Sea coast on the eve of Neutrality Day.

This project marks a new significant step to implement Turkmenistan’s energy strategy, and particularly such an aspect as diversification of transit of Turkmen energy to world markets. As is known, liquefied gas exports is an important income item of the Turkmen state today, and in the near future it can be on equal terms with natural gas exports via the transnational gas pipelines.

In recent years Turkmenistan has turned into the Central Asia’s largest producer of this marketable product of petrochemical and gas processing industries that is in high customer demand. It became possible to a larger extent through putting new technological systems into operation – catalytic reforming (CCR) and millisecond catalytic cracking (MSCC) at the Turkmenbashi oil refineries, the gas processing plants in the gas fields in the east of the country, road and railroad liquefied gas terminals in Turkmenbashi, Sarakhs, Serhetabat.

In accordance with the Programme on the development of oil and gas industry for the period till 2030 it is planned to increase liquefied gas production in the country up to 3 million tons. This is the aim of several large-scale investment projects on construction of new petrochemical plants and gas processing facilities in the fields on the right bank of the Amu Darya River and the Caspian region, where the active work to put offshore deposits on production is carried on, in particular. New transport infrastructure facilities contribute to increasing exports of the most important product of Turkmenistan’s fuel and energy sector.

The terminal is built in the Kiyanly seaport at the request of the Turkmenbashi oil refineries by the Iranian company Pars Energy. Its capacity is up to 200,000 tons of liquefied gas per year. The products manufactured at the flagship of Turkmen petrochemical industry – propane butane mixture – is piped there via two pipelines 26 km long, one of which is the backup line. Their different diameter – 219 mm and 273 mm allow adjusting the schedule of liquefied gas supply to the sea platform that can receive tankers and liquefied gas carriers with the tonnage of 3,000 tons. In the future the ships with a greater tonnage including railroad ferries can moor there. A railway line will be laid from the ‘overland’ gas terminal of Turkmenbashi oil refineries. In addition, the seabed in the water area of the sea port from 5 to 7 meters will be dredged.

The fully automated terminal includes the tank farm with the capacity of 3,000 tons, high-powered pump-and-compressor and transformer stations and other facilities. All processes are controlled remotely and centrally – from the operator’s room equipped with the computers connected to the control units at the oil refineries. State-of-the-art control equipment allows stocktaking precisely the products manufactured and sold. The laboratories test the compliance of products with the standards. Particular attention is paid to the environmental and fire safety of the facility, which has the fire control system, fire station and separate pump station.

The adjacent territory of the complex located 1.5 kilometres from Kiyanly is planted with pine, olive, pomegranate and other ornamental trees and shrubs and adorned with flower-beds. The comfortable working conditions are created for local personnel in the two-storey administrative building and the offices for customs officers, border guards, sanitation and hygiene specialists, security guards, etc.

The high-ranking officials of the oil and gas departments, local authorities and representatives of the public organisations of the maritime region took part in the ceremony of opening the Kiyanly sea terminal. On the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov the congratulations and wishes of good health, prosperity and new accomplishments for the benefit of the Fatherland were conveyed on behalf of the Turkmen leader to the builders and workers of the terminal.

The participants expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Turkmen leader for the unceasing concern for the development of the strategic sector of the national economy – the fuel and energy sector, active support of the large-scale projects on modernization of oil and gas infrastructure. It was noted that the new fuel and petrochemical units built in the framework of the programme on technology modernization of Turkmenbashi oil refineries in collaboration with the leading companies from Japan, Germany, the United States, France, Turkey, Iran and Israel had the unique technical characteristics. In fact, putting them into operation became a technological revolution in Turkmen petrochemical industry.

Thus, the strategy towards fundamental reconstruction and modernization of the leader of Turkmen oil-refining industry turned out to be well thought-out in the context of Turkmenistan’s economic policy – the country with the largest hydrocarbon reserves in the world. Today, the relevant work is continued to increase the operating reliability of interconnected processing units as well as develop new petrochemical industries in the country and which are to bring the leading sector of Turkmen economy up to a qualitatively new level.

The festivities in Kiyanly were concluded with a big concert performed by the artistic groups of the maritime town. A sadaqa was given on the remarkable occasion and for the health of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.