At Saturday’s meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov signed a Decree on the construction of a new combined power plant with a capacity of 1,574 MW on the territory of Turkmenbashi etrap of Balkan velayat.

The construction of the power plant in Balkan velayat is envisaged by Turkmenistan's Investment Program for 2023 and is aimed at meeting the country's domestic electricity needs and the ever-growing demand for it from importing states. The new modern power plant is the second biggest large facility with an integrated combined cycle.

Turkmenistan's first combined cycle power plant was commissioned in Mary velayat in September 2018 and was recognized as the largest in Central Asia. Such power plants have a high efficiency and environmental benefits compared to simple cycle power plants.

The construction of the second combined power plant is another confirmation that Turkmenistan reliably provides electricity not only to itself, but also through the implemented diversification strategy to neighboring states of the region, and, if necessary, is ready to supply other countries.

The commitment to this strategy was confirmed, in particular, during the official visit of President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the Republic of Turkey, on the agenda of which an important place was given to the issues of transportation of Turkmen natural gas and electricity to Turkey through the Caspian Sea.

At the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the head of Turkmenistan stressed that the development of energy partnership is beneficial for both countries, noting that there is a necessary legal framework for this purpose. In this regard, it was proposed to consider the possibility of supplying electricity to Turkey through transit through third countries.

And the launch of construction of a new power plant with a capacity of 1,574 MW on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea will provide the necessary opportunities for this. As President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said, the Turkmen side intends to implement this project together with Turkish partners.