The Malaysian energy company PETRONAS has marked 30 years of operations in Turkmenistan. The partnership began in 1996 with the signing of a Production Sharing Agreement for Block I in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. Since then, it has evolved from geological exploration into an integrated energy system encompassing offshore production facilities, coastal infrastructure and gas-processing capacity. This was reported by the electronic newspaper Turkmenistan: Golden Age.

Development of Projects in the Caspian Sea

Important milestones in PETRONAS’s operations in Turkmenistan included the discovery of the Magtymguly gas field in 1998 and the Diyarbakir oil field in 1999. Commercial production at the Diyarbakir field began in 2006.

Over the past three decades, the project has laid the foundations for modern production, transportation and processing infrastructure. Its main facilities include offshore production platforms, a coastal gas terminal and a gas-processing plant located in the settlement of Kiyanly.

Work at Block I in the Caspian Sea is now entering a new stage of development. According to Ismadi bin Ismail, Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Carigali (Turkmenistan) Sdn Bhd, alongside the development of new infrastructure, the focus is now on improving the efficiency of existing facilities and making fuller use of the potential of current assets.

Digitalisation and Production Efficiency

The strategic priorities identified for the coming years include ensuring operational safety, introducing digital technologies, reducing the carbon footprint and extending the service life of oil and gas fields.

In 2024, the company presented a five-year Technology Roadmap that envisages introducing automation and predictive analytics technologies into offshore production operations. These measures are intended to improve production processes and make more efficient use of existing production capacity.

Training National Specialists

One of the important areas of cooperation between PETRONAS and Turkmenistan is improving the professional skills of local specialists and developing national human capital.

According to the company, citizens of Turkmenistan currently account for approximately 90 per cent of its workforce. More than 1,100 local specialists have participated in professional development programmes.

In addition, 188 students from Turkmenistan have studied at PETRONAS University of Technology in Malaysia, while 235 specialists have completed technical training courses at the INSTEP institute.

The Water for Life initiative, educational projects in the exact sciences and programmes aimed at environmental protection are also being implemented in the settlement of Kiyanly. These activities are intended to strengthen the company’s cooperation with local communities.

New Partners and Long-Term Plans

The experience of cooperation built up over many years and mutual trust play an important role in the development of PETRONAS’s operations in Turkmenistan. The report notes that a new Production Sharing Agreement for Block I has been signed and that new strategic partners, including the United Arab Emirates’ ADNOC, have been brought into projects in the Caspian Sea.

PETRONAS’s 30 years of operations in Turkmenistan represent an important milestone in the development of oil and gas projects in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, the improvement of production infrastructure and the training of national specialists. The company’s future plans focus on increasing the efficiency of existing assets, expanding the use of digital technologies and strengthening the environmental sustainability of production.