Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Aug. 20 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov approved the main directions of development of the country's industry region Lebap that gained a strategic importance in recent years.
The document was signed under the "National Program for the socio-economic development of Turkmenistan in 2011-2030" and will allow to create new industries equipped with the know-how and raise the level of employment in the region.
At the last governmental meeting, Berdimuhammedov emphasized that the new program "is aimed at diversifying the productive sector of the economy and further improving the welfare of the population", an official Turkmen source reported.
He also tasked to take the necessary steps for successful implementation of the adopted program. The matter is to increase the pace of work on creation of the transport infrastructure, construction of gas pipelines and power lines.
The region's importance has grown significantly after the commissioning of the Turkmenistan -China gas pipeline (via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan), originating from the right bank of the Amu Darya, in 2009.
The Central Asia Pipeline with a design capacity of 30 billion cubic meters was built by China's CNPC and allowed Turkmenistan to expand markets, which was earlier limited to Russia and Iran.
In addition, CNPC operates in Turkmenistan on the basis of an exclusive Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) to develop the onshore field Bagtyyarlyk in Lebap.
The liquefied gas production is also developing in this region. A new plant with capacity of processing 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year will be soon commissioned here. The new facility will be the second in a row. The first such plant is built in Bagaje, one of the most promising gas-condensate fields of the country.
The construction of the potash fertilizers mining and processing complex is underway in the Garlyk settlement in the Lebap region.
Belgorkhimprom is engaged in the construction of the complex. Its capacity is 1.4 million tons of fertilizers a year.
This enterprise will fill up the industrial infrastructure of the right bank of the Amu Darya. It is expected to further strengthen the economic power of the state, local media reported.
According to the project, a mine will be built to develop the potash ore deposits in Garlyk field. The finished products will be transported by rail and road.
Local experts guess that the chemical sector is a basic segment of industry, possessing essential macroeconomic efficiency. Its consumers are nearly all industrial sectors, including transport, agriculture, services, trade, the sciences, culture, education, and the defense complex. The strategic objectives of developing the chemical industry include facilitating the deep refinery of raw mineral resources, enriching the demand on the domestic market, creating a competitive import environment and establishing an export industry directed at advanced production.