The methane leak near the city of Khazar in Turkmenistan is one of the largest in the world. This was announced on October 25 by NASA.

With the help of spectrometers installed on the satellite, 12 plumes from gas sources were detected on the Turkmen peninsula, which stretched for more than 32 kilometers.

According to scientists, sources in Turkmenistan emit 50.4 tons of methane per hour into the atmosphere. This figure is approximately equal to the volume of gas released from one of the largest accidents in the United States – a leak in Aliso Canyon in 2015.

In February of this year, Bloomberg found out that all fields on the Caspian coast, where methane leaks were discovered, are being developed by the state-owned companies Turkmengaz and Turkmenneft.

Leaks are attributed to poor maintenance of the oil and gas infrastructure, as well as the irresponsible attitude of workers to these problems.

From January 2017 to November 2020, 944 cases of leaks were registered. Of the 29 sources, 24 were extinguished flares that burn associated gases and which, for unclear reasons, did not burn. In some cases leaky pipes appeared to be the source of the leaks.

The Turkmen state-owned companies Turkmengas and Turkmenneft, as well as the country’s Foreign Ministry, ignored written appeals and phone calls from experts regarding methane emissions.

At the same time, the authorities of Turkmenistan declare their intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in order to fulfill the country’s obligations under the Paris Agreement. Data on current emissions and on the targets that the country is striving to achieve by the specified date were not disclosed.

Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan