According to the World Bank, the Project Development Objective is to manage and reduce methane emissions from Turkmenistan’s oil and gas sector through the provision of a monitoring, reporting, and verification framework and tools to the Government of Turkmenistan and its state-owned operators. 

At COP28 in Dubai, Turkmenistan joined the Global Methane Pledge, making the commitment to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. Turkmenistan's oil and gas sector suffers significant gas losses and is strongly committed to tackling this waste problem but lacks a measurement-based methane emissions inventory and consistent monitoring and verification standards. The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Global Methane Pledge, while State Concerns Turkmennebit (TN) and Turkmengas (TG) are responsible for operating state-owned oil and gas assets in the country.

The Project aims to provide the Government of Turkmenistan and its state-owned operators with a monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework and the tools to manage and reduce methane emissions from the (predominantly state-owned) oil and gas sector in the country. Step by step, the Project aims to change this context into action as follows:

• Component A - Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification System for Methane Emissions in the Oil and Gas Sector: Functional design, technical design, and implementation of a basic MRV system housed at MEP, comprising a sector-wide data repository to collect, store, and analyze source-level measurement-based emissions data submitted by operators, methodologies, reporting templates, QA/QC protocols, and verification procedures. The Project is centered around the design and implementation of an MRV system for methane emissions, essentially a database that will serve as the basis for the Government to collect measured methane emission data from oil and gas operators at the "source level", that is, at the level of individual emission sources, to develop a baseline and set targets for methane emission reduction, to develop a mitigation action plan, and to prescribe (mandatory and voluntary) actions to be taken by TG and TN to reduce methane emissions from state-owned assets in accordance with government policy.
• Component B - Regulatory Framework for Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Methane Emissions: Develop (secondary) legislation comprising regulations and technical standards for methane emission reporting aligned with international oil and gas industry standards and best practice. This includes the development of an inspection and compliance function at MEP. The Project aims to support the development of a regulatory framework and institutional capacity for MEP to carry out its mandate to reduce methane emissions.
• Component (C) - Capacity Building and Training, including Equipment: Capacity building at MEP, TN, and TG in managing and interpreting the results from a gas loss detection and assessment program at an oil and gas facility, including the procurement of methane cameras and gas flow measurement equipment and training in the use of such equipment. Project activities are accompanied by investments in training and capacity building to develop a sustainable methane management function in MEP, TN, and TG beyond the horizon of the Project.
• Component (D) - Gas Loss Detection and Assessment at Selected Oil and Gas Facilities: Gas loss detection and assessment programs carried out at five representative, priority oil and gas assets of TN and five representative, priority oil and gas assets of TG, across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations. Selection criteria for priority assets include a) expected material gas losses based on legacy operator data, third-party data, screening data, and operating characteristics, b) anticipated opportunities to develop high-impact projects, and c) operational accessibility, manageable operational risk, and readiness of site teams. Recognizing that collecting emission data is typically the responsibility of the operator, the Project comprises pilot gas loss detection and assessment programs at selected state-owned assets operated by TN and TG, with the objective to populate the system with actual and actionable measurement-based methane emission data at the source level, to train operator and ministerial staff.
• Component (E) - First State Gas Loss Reduction Action Plan for the Oil and Gas Sector: Development of a measurement-based, source-level methane emissions baseline and a first State Methane Emission Reduction Action Plan for selected oil and gas assets, presenting a) low-cost opportunities that can be implemented by TN and TG using available personnel and spare parts, and within existing budgets, and b) higher-cost, high-impact methane emission abatement opportunities, screened and ranked for possible future investment financing. The Project is expected to result in a first State Gas Loss Reduction Action Plan, addressing some of the most efficient opportunities first, that is, opportunities for TN and TG to reduce gas losses with low and even negative costs per tonne of methane reduced.

World Bank Team Leaders:

Robert Van Der Geest - Senior Gas Specialist
Email: rvandergeest@worldbank.org 

Sandu Ghidirim - Senior Energy Specialist
Email: Sghidirim@worldbank.org 

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