Turkmenistan Moves to Tackle Major Methane Leaks
Exports Weeks Before Xi-Trump Summit Eurasianet is an independent news organization that covers news from and about the South Caucasus and Central Asia, providing on-the-ground reporting and critical perspectives on… UN data shows that Turkmenistan is making repairs to its energy infrastructure to seal major methane leaks, according to a reportpublishedby the Guardian.
The improvements appear linked to efforts by Ashgabat to emerge from aself-imposed isolationist shell.
The UN’sMethane Alert and Response System(MARS) has identified natural gas-rich Turkmenistan as one of the world’sleading sourcesof methane leaks.
According to MARS, Turkmenistan had three of the six worst leaks detected over the past six months, and nine of the top 50.
Methane, a component of natural gas, is a major contributor to global warming.
MARS describes itself as a “global satellite detection and notification system providing actionable data on very large methane emissions around the world.” Overall, MARS brought 192 instances of methane plumes to the attention of Turkmen officials during the last year.
Turkmenistan addressed about 40 of the cases, providing details about the leaks and proposing plans to plug them.
According to the Guardian report, the government has repaired at least eight significant leaks, while quoting a UN official as describing the Turkmen action as “an incredible first step.” A Julycommentarypublished by the TDH state news agency indicated that plugging methane leaks is continuing and is part of a broader plan to update the country’s natural gas infrastructure.
The upgrades are aimed at “strengthening the material and technical base of all structures of the domestic fuel and energy complex,” TDH contended.
“Work in this area is being carried out in accordance with modern requirements.” “The hydrocarbon potential of the Motherland and the opportunities opening up before it is directed towards strengthening the national economy,” the TDH commentary added.
Watchdog groups note that Turkmenistan’s media environment is one of the mosttightly controlled in the world, and positions reflected by Turkmen media outlets closely adhere to state policy.
An apparent motivation for authoritarian-minded Turkmen leaders is a desire to move away from their traditional isolationist tendencies and cautiously open the country, long regarded as a ‘hermit kingdom,’ to the outside world.
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