For the Contest “Green Energy – Bright Future” 

In recent years, interest in green energy (renewable energy) from natural resources has been growing all over the world, including our independent Motherland. This is due to saving energy, achieving environmental wellbeing, improving people’s living conditions and using cheaper, i.e., less costly, types of energy. Its reliability is based on the fact that it follows from processes that continuously occur in the external environment. The processes and phenomena of the environment are inexhaustible. This means that conditions are created to provide society with safe and affordable energy sources. 

Green energy is produced from renewable natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, waves and geothermal heat. The most popular sources of green renewable energy are wind and sun. The consistent implementation of projects in this area, in accordance with the state policy pursued by our esteemed President, allows saving fossil fuels, increasing the volume of electricity production and exports and reducing emissions that affect the environment, since the development and use of alternative energy sources helps reduce emissions into the environment. It should be noted that solar energy is the most powerful among renewable energy sources. Turkmenistan has more than enough favorable conditions for the development of solar energy: more than 300 sunny days a year and 12-14 hours of daylight. 

The significant potential of solar energy lies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement through the active use of renewable energy sources. The basis for these approaches is the National Strategy for the Development of Renewable Energy until 2030 and the Roadmap of Youth Initiatives in the Fight against Climate Change in Turkmenistan. These documents reflect the future of the energy sector of Turkmenistan and its commitment to sustainable development.

As is known, the Law of Turkmenistan “On Renewable Energy Sources” came into force in March 2021. Accordingly, innovative projects for the production of electricity, in particular, for the production of electricity using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, are being developed. 

In July 2022, the construction of the first multifunctional solar and wind power plant with a capacity of 10 megawatts began in the Gyzylarbat etrap of the Balkan velayat. This suggests that projects, aimed at using the potential of green energy, have a great future. These projects are of great importance in increasing the potential of key sectors of the national economy and further modernizing their infrastructure. 

The construction of an energy facility in the Turkmenbashi etrap of the Balkan velayat – a gas-steam power plant – testifies to the targeted activities in the country to develop the industry, successfully solving problems related to environmental wellbeing. 

According to the project, the new power plant will operate with four gas and two steam turbines. Their total production capacity is 1,574 megawatts. The combined-cycle gas turbine cycle, operating in parallel, is a new type of power generation that is highly efficient. Its main principle is to generate additional electricity through the efficient use in a steam turbine of high-temperature waste generated during fuel combustion in a gas turbine. The introduction of this modern technology is of great importance in terms of the development of waste-free production in our country. The plant allows saving natural gas used in the production of electricity. 

Due to the introduction of modern high-quality technologies, production at the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries (TCOR) meets the requirements of the time from an environmental point of view. A specific example of this is the commissioning of two new gas turbine units in the complex, generating electricity with a total design capacity of 70 MWh. The energy project successfully implemented on the territory of TCOR was awarded international certificates. It is noteworthy that power plants operating on gas and steam are also environmentally friendly. 

By implementing major projects of regional and international importance in the energy sector, Turkmenistan demonstrates a responsible and scientifically based approach to ecology and environment protection. That is why the active introduction of resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies and highly efficient equipment that fully meets the requirements of the relevant industry is defined as one of the main tasks in the programs of socioeconomic reforms of our esteemed President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. 

The efforts of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Hero-Arkadag to promote a green economy and consistently prioritize the solution of environmental problems in the state policy are significant. During visits to foreign countries, the Hero-Arkadag raises environmental issues, puts forward initiatives and proposals and advocates for strengthening cooperation in this sphere. In his speech at the Turkmen-French economic forum, held as part of the official visit to the French Republic last week, the National Leader of the Turkmen people said Turkmenistan was interested in attracting advanced French experience in the field of urban development, monitoring methane emissions, geological exploration, supply of oil and gas equipment and green and hydrogen energy. The Hero-Arkadag emphasized those issues had a place on the agenda of the Turkmen-French working group on energy cooperation and put forward a proposal to hold the next meeting of the working group this year. “We also consider it appropriate to continue the practice of holding international events, such as the energy forum organized in Paris in 2024,” the National Leader of the Turkmen people noted. This confirms our country’s commitment to complying with environmental requirements when implementing major projects. 

Mammet MAMMEDOV