OREANDA-NEWS. November 17, 2009. During the recent working trip to Lebap Velayat President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited Samandepe – the largest gas condensate field in Kyzylkum. Construction of the gas producing and cleaning unit is under completion on the Bagtyyarlyk contractual area. ‘Blue fuel’ extracted from the depths of Turkmenistan will be supplied from there to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline. Reviewing the progress in construction the President once again emphasized that the opening of a new ‘corridor’ to transit Turkmen energy to world markets would further enhance Turkmenistan’s economic potential and increase the welfare of the Turkmen people.

Little time is left before putting the unit into operation. In the meanwhile the special passenger train leaves the station Turkmenabat in the early morning. Tickets are not sold for this train. The passengers, who have the permits for this train, are the gas industry workers, who work on the right bank of the Amu Darya in the Bagtyyarlyk contractual area. They can be easily recognized by the bright blue and red uniform with the colourful emblems.

Now not many people work at the gas treating unit equipped with the latest technologies on the right bank of the Amu Darya River. Large-scale construction and installation work have been completed, the preoperational tests are being conducted. The technological processes at the unit will be controlled and managed by the ‘clever’ automatic devices that occupy a spacious room in the separate building. There are two rows of computers, and 15 large monitors on the wall will show everything that happens in the workplaces.

In 2012, the Turkmenistan-China pipeline will transport 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas, of which 17 billion cubic metres will be supplied from the fields located on the left bank of the Amu Darya River. One of the sections of the gas pipeline will be built along the bed of the wayward river. Under contract with the Turkmengaz State Concern Russian Stroytransgaz is to build the measuring stations and infrastructure facilities on the right bank of the Amu Darya River.

There remain several days before putting the gas producing unit – GPP-1 and transnational pipeline into operation. There is the golden plaque with the name of this high-tech unit – one of the many facilities built in the epoch of Great Revival of our country on the dark marble at the gate. Putting the gas-cleaning unit into operation will mean the solemn and long-awaited moment of completion of the largest international project of XXI century.