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Turkmenistan sets up first oil joint-stock company NAPECO

ASHGABAT, November 28. /TASS/. A first closed corporation - the national oil and gas company NAPECO - has been established in Turkmenistan’s oil and gas sector on the instruction of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov who approved the company’s charter and basic documents, the presidential press service said on Thursday.

“The creation of a closed corporation in the oil and gas sector meets the plans for modernisation of the national energy industry,” Berdymukhamedov said. “It will facilitate its competiveness and help implement large-scale projects aimed to put into practice the country’s colossal resource and investment opportunities.”

Deputy Prime Minister Baimyrat Khodzhamukhammedov told the president that the company would incorporate the presidential agency for management and use of hydrocarbons, the state-owned companies Turkmengaz and Turkmennebit, the state corporation Turkmengeology and the Tuirkemenbashi oil refineries.

The state-owned National Oil and Gas Company will conduct exploration and drilling, produce oil and gas as well as implement international projects in the oil and gas sector.

Currently, Turkmenistan’s total geological reserves are estimated at the amount of 71.21 billion metric tonnes of fuel equivalent. Predicted resources at Turkmenistan’s largest and the world’s second Galkynysh deposit are estimated at 26.2 trillion cubic meters ranking the country fourth in gas deposits.

At least 70% of Turkmenistan’s GDP makes up the gas sector.

The country delivers its natural gas through export pipelines to Russia, China and Iran, with plans to increase gas output to 230 million cubic meters by 2030.

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