OREANDA-NEWS. May 27, 2011. II International Gas Congress and Exhibition aimed at widening international energy cooperation closed in the Avaza national tourism zone. The forum, which had brought together over 500 participants from more than 30 countries of the world, was organized by the Turkmengaz State Concern and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan.

The meetings providing a platform for discussing critical aspects of regional and international cooperation in the gas industry were held during two days Arzuw Hotel. The priority themes included diversification of energy transit, international cooperation and investment, development of national and regional gas transportation infrastructure.

Foreign participants underlined the increasing role of Turkmenistan as a major gas exporter to world energy markets of Eurasia. That is vividly illustrated by increased supplies of Turkmen ‘blue fuel’ to China and the Islamic Republic of Iran via new gas pipelines as well as the dynamic work on development of new energy export routes towards Afghanistan, Pakistan and India and EU member states, where energy demands increase with every passing year.

The basic idea of the reports and presentations made by representatives of numerous companies from countries of Europe and Asia, the United States and CIS states was the ardent willingness to expand business partnership in the energy sphere with Turkmenistan, which rapidly strengthens its positions in the world energy market, that was stipulated by the favourable investment policy of Turkmenistan and huge hydrocarbon resources, natural gas in particular.

It is not by chance that the leading news agencies of the world spread the sensational news, which had been broken on the first day of the Congress. According to the report presented by the independent auditor, Gaffney, Cline & Associates that Southern Yoloten-Osman could be regarded as the world’s second biggest natural gas deposit. Moreover, prospecting works in this deposit are continued and, according to geologists, its territory hasn’t been proven yet. Thus, the higher evaluation of hydrocarbon reserves of this unique gas pool can be rightfully expected.

Heads and leading specialists of a number of foreign companies including Chevron and ExxonMobil, Baker Hughes and Honeywell (USA), Shell (Holland-UK), OMV (Austria), BP, BOTAS (Turkey), GAIL (India) and others made the presentations on the prospects for cooperation with Turkmenistan and the readiness to offer their experience, advanced technologies and investments to Turkmen partners.

The representatives of Dragon Oil (UAE-UK), Petronas (Malaysia), RWE (Germany), Gulf Oil & Gas (UAE), CNPC (People’s Republic of China) presented the reports on the successful implementation of large-scale investment projects in partnership with Turkmen oil and gas enterprises. In particular, the video presentation of Hyundai Engineering (Korea), which implements the grandiose project for construction of a gas desulfurization plant in the Southern Yoloten-Osman field, aroused keen interest of forum participants.

These and other examples of the successful implementation of large-scale sectoral projects with leading foreign companies vividly demonstrated benefits and the mutually beneficial character of business relations with Turkmenistan, which under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov resolutely pursued the energy strategy aimed at employing the tremendous hydrocarbon potential in the interest of citizens of Turkmenistan and the whole humankind, to the world business community.

In this aspect the comprehensive support for the important initiatives to ensure reliable and stable transit of energy to world markets put forward by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the UN General Assembly sessions was expressed in foreign specialists’ reports.

The presentations on the ongoing large-scale projects aimed at strengthening the production potential of the oil and gas sector, developing gas transportation infrastructure, increasing energy production and exports and the prospects for development of the gas chemical and gas processing industries presented by the heads of the Turkmengas State Concern, the Turkmenneft State Concern, the Turkmengeologiya State Corporation, the Turkmennebitgurlusik State Corporation, the Turkmenhimiya State Corporation were of particular interest for foreign guests.

A number of meetings focused on such issues as use of advanced technologies and equipment to promote the projects for prospecting of offshore and on-land gas deposits, development of gas deposits, natural and associated gas processing, etc.

In conclusion forum participants emphasized that the detailed and active dialogue in the framework of the International Gas Congress would certainly contribute to expanding business contacts and establishing new ones with foreign companies in production and processing of natural and associated gas, adoption of advanced technologies and equipment and attraction of substantial investment in the oil and gas sector of Turkmenistan.

The sector exhibition timed to the International Gas Congress continued its work at the Nebitchi Hotel. Numerous expositions presented by dozens of leading foreign and Turkmen companies showcased outstanding achievements of the fuel and energy sector of Turkmenistan as well as the possibilities to establish new business contacts with foreign companies standing ready to offer advanced technologies and state-of-the-art equipment to Turkmen oil and gas industry workers.