Turkmenistan eyes expansion of electric energy export

/By Azernews/

By Nigar Abbasova

Energy-rich Turkmenistan is currently engaged in the exploration of possibilities for the export of electric power to Pakistan and Tajikistan.

“Prospective export routes of the energy of Turkmenistan particularly to Pakistan and Tajikistan are acquiring more and more solid grounds,” the Turkmen government’s report said.

The expansion of export possibilities are triggered by the recently commissioned gas-turbine power plant in the country’s Beýik Türkmenba?y district located in the Lebap region, according to the report.

The annual capacity of the power plant is 254 megavolts. The project was implemented by the Turkish Çal?k Enerji Company by the order of the country’s Turkmenenergo state power engineering corporation.  

The project allowed making the eastern region of the country a powerful basis for the export of the country’s electric power primarily to Afghanistan which may be used as a transit point in the future. The facility is comprised of the complex of technological buildings as well as three gas-turbine installations manufactured by the U.S. General Electric Company. The station is totally computerized. Gas supply to the turbine is implemented by means of the automatic gas-distribution system which provides for the optimal pressure level and guarantees durability of the enterprise.

Earlier, it was reported that the country supplies electric power to Afghanistan on easy terms and implements purposeful activities to increase the volumes of electric energy export to the neighboring country.

The supplies are fulfilled by the Imamnazar-Andhoy transmission facility with the capacity of 300 million kilowatts per hour and Serhetabat-Gerat-Turgundi facility with the capacity of 200 million kilowatts per hour.

Previously, the country’s energy ministry reported that the volume of electricity output amounted to 22.5 billion kilowatt per hour in 2015. Export volume to neighboring countries in this period was at the level of 3.2 billion kilowatt per hour.

Turkmenistan plans to increase its electricity output up to 27.4 and 35.5 billion kilowatt per hour by 2020 and 2030 respectively, according to the country’s power industry development plan.