Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, June 20 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov stressed the need to increase the production of high quality petroleum products for domestic and foreign markets, the national television channel Turkmenistan-4 reported.
This was stated at the recent governmental meeting, which addressed issues of steadily increasing volumes of hydrocarbon production and processing.
Turkmenistan plans to increase oil refining capacity to 15 million tons per year in 2015, 20 million tons in 2020, 22 million tons in 2025 and 30 million tons in 2030.
Based on the approved plans, this will be achieved by building three new refineries and upgrading existing plants, including the Turkmenbashi refinery.
The country's largest refinery, Turkmenbashi processed 2,893,400 tons of crude oil in January-May 2011. It produces various kinds of gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, lubricating oil, universal and coke oil.
The Turkmen Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry earlier reported that Turkmenistan will start production of new types of petroleum products in the short term. Particularly, factories for the production of benzene, toluene, xylene and their derivatives will be constructed at the Turkmenbashi refinery.
Construction of combined coking and deasphalting tar facilities for the production of polypropylene film, and a plant for the production of valve bags made of polypropylene, has already been completed at this refinery.