Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov participated in the foundation-laying ceremony of a new energy facility during his working trip to the Balkan province on Friday. The facility is a combined cycle power plant with a capacity of 1,574 megawatts, the official Turkmen media reports.
By tradition, the head of state placed a capsule containing a commemorative message into the foundation of the new power plant.Accompanied by esteemed elders, the president also participated in the symbolic gesture of laying the first shovels of concrete mix, marking the official start of the construction process.
The upcoming power plant will consist of four natural gas-powered gas turbines and two steam turbines, all manufactured by General Electric, a company based in the United States.
Afterwards, the head of state gave an online start to commission two new gas turbine units for power generation at the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries.
After that, the celebrations continued in the Guvlymayak settlement of Turkmenbashi district, where the foundation was laid for the construction of a large residential complex with appropriate social infrastructure for the employees of the enterprises of the State Concern Türkmenhimiýa (Turkmen Chemistry).
On October 28, 2023, the President of Turkmenistan signed a Decree authorising the State Electricity Corporation Türkmenenergo to conclude a contract with Çalik Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Republic of Türkiye) for the construction of a 1,574 MW combined cycle power plant in Turkmenbashi district of Balkan province, as well as for the construction of transmission lines to connect it to the power grid and the purchase of necessary spare parts for existing state-owned power plants.