The production and sale of high-quality bitumen at the Seydi Oil Refinery create conditions for the growth of the profitable part of the economy of Turkmenistan, says CentralAsia expert, Doctor of Technical Sciences Allaberdy Ilyasov.

An innovative technological plant for the production of road bitumen was previously launched at the Seidi Oil Refinery. This innovative technology is developed by Westport Trading Europe Limited. The technological solution makes it possible to produce road bitumen from oil according to the highest international standards, which opens up new horizons for the development of the Turkmen oil and gas market.

The technological unit of the Seidi Oil Refinery is the first production in the country based on the process of viscosity breaking of crude oil. The solution of Westport Trading Europe Limited includes the processing of heavy oil residues, in fact, waste remaining after refining and obtaining components for the manufacture of basic petroleum products.

This technology makes it possible to obtain high-quality road bitumen that meets modern standards from oil with a high content of paraffins. Ultimately, this makes it possible to carry out deep oil refining and increase the efficiency of using Turkmenistan's hydrocarbons.

Petroleum bitumen is used as an integral element in the construction of highways. The durability, strength, deformation and hydraulic stability of roads largely depend on the quality of the bitumen used. Due to the expansion of the highway network in Turkmenistan, the production of high-quality bitumen is becoming very important.

Currently, our country is rapidly building asphalt-concrete roads in the areas of oil and gas production, routes between the capital and regional centers, including highways of international importance.

Roads of proper quality allow you to increase passenger traffic and cargo turnover. Accordingly, the export of high-quality bitumen from Turkmenistan will also contribute to the national budget.

The construction of infrastructure highways is one of the strategic vectors of the national Program of socio-economic development until 2025, since they are needed both for domestic use and for international transit traffic. And this, in turn, increases the potential of Turkmenistan's interaction with partner states.