American specialists in Turkmenistan are working on a plan to reduce methane emissions – Kommersant

The United States is going to help Turkmenistan reduce methane emissions. Foreign specialists are already in the Asian country, a work plan is being developed, the agency reports Bloomberg with reference to sources.

The agency notes that technical specialists are collaborating with representatives of state-owned oil and gas companies to determine the sources of methane emissions, as well as develop a joint plan to eliminate associated gas leaks. The initiative has not yet been officially announced. Turkmenistan, as the agency reminds, is one of the most closed for foreigners from countries around the world.

On Friday, Turkmen authorities expressed their intention to join the Global Methane Pledge (GMP), led by the United States and the European Union. More than 150 countries have signed up to the pledge, aiming to cut global emissions by 30% by the end of this decade compared to 2020 levels.

Negotiations between the United States and Turkmenistan on methane have been ongoing since the beginning of 2023. According to estimates by the International Energy Agency and the World Bank, about 7% of the natural gas produced by oil production in Turkmenistan is wasted. Eliminating methane leaks is equivalent to eliminating about 92 million tons of CO2 annually.

During oil production, a by-product is associated gas, which consists of a mixture of methane, ethane, butane, propane and isobutane. By-product gas is a valuable resource, but is often simply flared.

Alexandra Goroshilova