OREANDA-NEWS. April 21, 2010. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made a working trip to Ahal Velayat to see the progress in constructing oil and gas fields in Central Karakum which were developed by the subdivisions of the State Concerns. Vice Premier B. Hojamuhamedov and Chairperson of the Mejlis A. Nurberdyeva accompanied the Turkmen leader on the trip to the region.

First, the President’s helicopter landed on the territory of the Mydar oil field located 140 kilometres to north of the administrative centre of Baharly Etrap. Construction of this oil-and-gas field has been launched under the project on the development of oil and gas deposits in Central Karakum, which is implemented by the Turkmen oil and gas enterprises.

The project developed by the Nebitgazylmytaslama Research Institute provides for pilot and commercial operation of two deposits – Yylakly and Mydar that have been discovered by the subdivisions of the State Concern Turkmennebit State Concern and the Turkmengeologiya State Corporation.

The specialists of the Gumdagnebit oil-and-gas production department, who have been engaged in construction of the Mydar field since the second half of 2009, greeted heartily the national leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Greeting those present the President visited the field facilities to see the progress of construction of production units and the conditions of life and work created for oil industry workers in the severe conditions of Central Karakum.

Talking to the oil industry workers the Turkmen leader said that the successful implementation of the project in Central Karakum, where commercial oil production had been launched for the first time, was a key task set to the fuel and energy sector to accelerate the development of fields discovered throughout the country.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov showed satisfaction with the report made by the local workers on that oil extracted in the Yylakly deposit was piped to the oil loading point built nearby the Baharly Etrap centre which had the necessary infrastructure for receiving, storing and transporting hydrocarbon fuel. Then oil was delivered in tanks cars to the supply pipeline in Belek, from where it was transported to the Turkmenbashi oil refineries.

After a connecting line between Mydar and Yylakly is constructed, oil from both fields will be piped to the terminal in Baharly that will make transportation of ‘black oil’ extracted in the desert to the oil refineries more economical.

Showing a keen interest in the quality of crude oil extracted in this region, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made sure that Central Karakum fuel had the good characteristics. In addition, the experts noted that for very few well oil cuts the quality of local oil significantly differed from that extracted in the other fields.

At the request of the local oil industry workers and specialists the leader of the Turkmen state and the labour collective of the Mydar field had a collective photograph taken in commemoration of this remarkable event.

Upon concluding the visit to the construction sites on the Mydar oil field, the President rebuked the relevant high-ranking officials and give instructions to accelerate the pace of work and keep strict control over the quality of construction in compliance with international standards. Bidding heartfelt farewell to the field personnel, the President wished them to work further diligently and selflessly thus contributing to enhancing the economic strength of the Motherland.

Then the Turkmen leader visited the constructions sites of the Central Karakum group of gas fields including 14 deposits with the total proven reserves of about 67 billion cubic metres. A growing demand for natural gas on world markets as well as advanced effective hydrocarbon development technologies adopted by the subdivisions of the Turkmengaz State Concern in the epoch of new Revival had facilitated the development and implementation of the project aimed at constructing and putting gas fields in Central Karakum on production. It is expected to extract up to 3 billion cubic metres a year in this region.

In the region Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited the gas field facilities under construction. The local specialists reported on the completion of the construction of a linear section of the 200-km gas pipeline Central Karakum-Yylanly gas compressor station to the Turkmen leader. This gas artery with the capacity of 3 billion cubic metres a year will transport gas from the fields located in the heart of the Turkmen desert to the Turkmenistan-Europe trunk pipeline, which exports Turkmen ‘blue fuel’ abroad.

At the request of the local workers and specialists the leader of the Turkmen state and the field personnel had a collective photograph taken in commemoration of this remarkable event.

Talking to the local specialists about the peculiarities of the construction of facilities in the Central Karakum group of gas fields the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov underscored the need to use latest technologies and scientific advances in full to resolve the problem of caverns, which had existed in this part of the Karakum Desert for many years.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov instructed the relevant high-ranking officials to develop a specific programme based on the estimates of the gas bearing potential of the region to eliminate the existing abnormalities that impeded the accelerated commercial development of the rich underground storerooms in Central Karakum. The President emphasized that this programme must be environmentally friendly in compliance with the measures to conserve the unique natural environment in the arid zone.

During the working visit to Ahal Velayat President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited an outrun in the Garagum farmers association in Ruhabat Etrap. The Turkmen leader drove to the grazing lands where a shepherd Atanazar Vellyaev was grazing his flock of sheep. The shepherd, who was greatly surprised at meeting with President of Turkmenistan, extended the heartfelt welcome to his dearest guest.

There, the Turkmen leader and the shepherd talked over a cup of delicious tea about the life and everyday concerns of rural workers. Answering the questions of the Turkmen leader, who showed keen interest in almost everything, A. Vellyaev said that he had been working as a shepherd for 24 years and his flock consisted of 400 ewes, which had given birth to 415 lambs this year. During the conversation A. Vellyaev heartily thanked the Turkmen leader for his unceasing concern for the development of the agricultural sector, in particular stock raising, providing the active support for agricultural workers and creating the conditions for their happy life.

The President said that the Government would further take the measures to modernize the agro-industry sector, improve the welfare and increase the quality of life in rural areas noting that the agricultural reform launched in the country to achieve these goals and had started to produce the real results.

During the conversation about the shepherd’s everyday concerns, the Turkmen leader took notice of chomuch (ferule badrakema) – the plant widely used in folk medicine. By the way, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov described the healing properties of this plant in the first volume of his fundamental scientific work “The Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan” that became the handbook for health professionals.

Bidding farewell to the shepherd the Turkmen leader wished him good health, family wellbeing and every success in his work.

Then the President drove to the heliport. The helicopter took the Turkmen leader back to Ashgabat. On the way to the capital the Turkmen leader inspected from the bird’s-eye view the condition of agricultural fields and outruns and the progress of construction of a manifold which led to the Altyn Asyr Turkmen Lake. Addressing Chairperson of the Mejlis A. Nurberdyeva, who accompanied the President on the trip to Ahal Velayat, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that the deputies of the national Parliament should more actively contribute to addressing the issues of social and economic development of rural areas and improving the living and working conditions of agricultural workers who resided in the remote regions of the vast expanses of the Karakum Desert and to make on-site visits more frequently in order to be well informed of their needs and everyday concerns.

Underscoring the importance of the task-oriented measures taken by the Government to guarantee the high standards of living to all citizens of Turkmenistan, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded that Vice Premier B. Hojamuhammedov keep strict control of the activity that was carried out to ensure the success of the ongoing large-scale national oil and gas projects and programmes in the country.