Representatives of the State Concerns “Turkmengas” and “Turkmenoil”, Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and other relevant agencies of Turkmenistan discussed environmental protection in the oil and gas sector at an OSCE-organized online webinar on 23 and 24 November 2020.

The two-day event presented best practices and innovative approaches of OSCE participating States in the area of environmental management and ecologic protection in oil and gas exploration and production.

International experts provided insights into environmental engineering surveys and environmental impact assessments in oil and gas projects.

“Dynamic development of Turkmenistan’s fuel and energy sector is of particular significance for the country’s economy, this is why it is important to ensure balance between operations of oil and gas facilities and preserving environment,” said Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. “We organized this seminar to support the efforts of the host country to boost the development of fuel and energy industry while also promoting environmental sustainability.”

The seminar also addressed measures aimed at the reduction of greenhouse effects from flaring associated petroleum gas and explored ways for developing and integrating technological solutions for decarbonization of the oil and gas industry.

Participants discussed OSCE best practices in applying pollution prevention management approaches in the oil and gas industry and emphasized the importance of the development of educational ecologic programmes for oil and gas companies.