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Turkmenistan
Caspian Partnership for Regulatory
Cooperation
Beginning in FY 1999 with funding from the
U.S. Agency for International Development, MMS is providing technical and policy advice
and assistance to the countries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Georgia, as they continue
their efforts to implement legislative and regulatory reforms with the long-term goal of
establishing transparent oil and gas regulatory institutions. The experience and
expertise MMS is providing through technical assistance workshops and regulatory
partnerships is designed to help these countries develop and implement regulatory systems
that incorporate modern-day safety and environmental standards.
Activities with Turkmenistan:
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December 1998 - Needs
Assessment and Orientation. In cooperation with technical assistance
partner Hagler-Bailly, Inc., and regulatory partnership coordinator the United States
Energy Association (USEA), MMS met with key actors involved in the Turkmen oil and gas
sector. MMS representatives met with members of both the Turkmen and international
oil and gas industry as well as counterpart Turkmen regulators.
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March 1999 - The first of four
technical assistance workshops was conducted from March 3-5, 1999 in Ashgabat,
Turkmenistan. A representative from Georgia attended. The workshop conveyed an "Overview of the
MMS System and Its Historical Evolution as the Sole Offshore
Regulator of Oil and Gas in the U.S."
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June 1999 - The second technical
assistance workshop was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on June 2-4, 1999. Two
representatives from Georgia and approximately 30 government and state sector employees
attended from Turkmenistan. Likewise, representatives from foreign oil companies were
present, namely Petronas of Malaysia, Monument of the U.K., and Mobil of the United
States. The workshop was titled,
"Regulating Field Operations and the
Inspection Process: the MMS Model." The last day of this workshop was a one-day study
tour to an onshore drilling facility in Kyzlarbat (photo above), where MMS inspectors
and their Turkmen counterparts performed a mock inspection. Furthermore, as a result of
this workshop many MMS forms associated with regulating field operations and the
inspection process were freely distributed to those in attendance.
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July 1999 - The USEA
CEPI Environmental Overview workshop was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on
July 7th and 8th. MMS, as a partner, was represented by two employees expert in the
overall MMS program and the environmental issues and analyses associated with offshore oil
and gas activities. Approximately 25 Turkmenistan participants attended, including
government, industry and NGO representatives. The seminar consisted of presentations by
the U.S. representatives focusing on the EIA/EIS process and its fundamental role within
the scheme of performance-based regulations.
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August 1999 - The
third technical assistance workshop was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on August 4-6,
1999. Four representatives from MMS participated and presented. Two representatives from
Georgia and approximately 30 government and state sector employees attended from
Turkmenistan. The workshop was called, "Ensuring Fair Market Return on Oil &
Gas Resources: the U.S. Model." In the morning of the last day of the
workshop, a tutorial of MMS software used in resource and reserve estimation was
interactively presented. The last day concluded with a tour for the MMS representatives of
the offices of Turkmen Geology. As follow-up to this workshop, MMS, in cooperation with Hagler-Bailly, hopes to bring 2-3 Turkmen resource evaluators to the U.S. to shadow their
counterparts in one of our regional offices.
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November 1999 - On November 15th,
1999, the MMSs Gulf of Mexico Region hosted regulatory officials from
Turkmenistan as part of the U.S. Energy Associations Caspian
Environmental Partnership Program. The round-table discussions with the Turkmen included:
environmental impact analysis and monitoring; offshore plans, permits, applications, and
inspections; and production and development permits and conservation issues.
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July and August 2000 - The MMS GOMR hosted two senior
Turkmen offshore inspectors for training on the MMS inspection program. During the course
of the training the two were provided an introduction to all facets of regional and
district level operations. As part of this, the two Turkmen inspectors shadowed Houma and
New Orleans District Inspectors on four separate trip offshore to inspect platforms.
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August 2000 - The fourth technical assistance workshop was
held in Turkmenbashy, Turkmenistan. The workshop addressed the need and importance of assessing
environmental information and impacts
to ensure operations are conducted in an environmentally sound and
safe manner. Part of the workshop utilized a
mock exploration plan by a fictional company with Turkmenistans new regulations as
the legal framework by which it was introduced. MMS representatives acted in different
roles from company executive, to environmental consulting firm, to the Government of
Turkmenistan. The Turkmen audience was drawn from governmental ministries, state
companies, international operators involved in Turkmenistan, and members of the
environmental NGO community.
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Last Updated:
11/19/2008,
05:23 PM
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