Turkmenistan to start GTL Dec 2018

Turkmenistan’s gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in Ovan-Depe will be operational in December 2018, state-run gas producer Turkmengaz said April 10. The construction is being carried out at an estimated cost of $1.7bn in Ovan-Depe, according to a contract signed in 2015 between Turkmengaz and a consortium of Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Turkish conglomerate Ronesans. Construction work will be completed in August and it will run on GTL technology provided by Denmark's Haldor Topsoe.

The plant aims to convert 1.785bn m³ of gas into 600,000 metric tons (15,500 b/d) of 'Euro-5' standard gasoline as well as 12,000 mt of diesel and 115,000 mt of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) annually. Turkmenistan plans to export all the plant's output, enabling it to make money from some of the gas that it cannot export.

Svend Ravn, spokesman for Haldor Topsoe, told NGW: "I can confirm the information about timeline and capacity of the Tigas gas-to-gasoline plant in Turkmenistan."

The Turkmenbashi and Seidi oil refineries are now the country's source of gasoline, and produce enough to meet domestic needs, with a small amount for export. 

The component of A-98 high-octane gasoline produced at the new plant will be the basis for the production of A - 95, A- 92 and A - 80 motor gasoline conforming to Euro-5 standards.