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FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
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RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB 
COMMERCE FOR DSTARKS/EHOUSE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2020 
TAGS: BTIO EINV EPET PGOV SENV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP PROJECT UNDER 
WAY 
 
REF: A. 09 ASHGABAT 154 
     ¶B. 09 ASHGABAT 1331 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran.  Reasons 1.4 (B) a 
nd (D). 
 
¶1. (C) A U.S. company operating in Turkmenistan reached a 
milestone on February 18-19 when it began work on an 
environmental cleanup project near Hazar (formerly Cheleken) 
on the Caspian Sea (Ref A).  Resource Analytics, a subsidiary 
of Global Environmental Science Technologies, had signed a 
contract with the Turkmen Government to clean up the area 
around Hazar about one year ago.  The work will begin with 
the clean up of an oil-polluted lake, and then move to the 
tar pits located south of the city. 
 
¶2. (C) The country manager for Resource Analytics reported 
that the contract gives his company a 70-30 split of the 
profits until it has earned enough to recover its investment. 
 From that point forward, the split will be 50-50.  The U.S. 
company almost has raised $30 million to purchase the 
equipment for the cleanup.  The Turkmen Government was not 
willing to cover any of the cost of the equipment.  However, 
the country manager said that the oil-soaked sand near Hazar, 
the legacy of decades of oil spills, contain 80 percent oil. 
He estimated that the value of recovered oil would total $100 
million, so the company would get a good return on its 
investment.  (NOTE: For comparison, the country manager told 
us that the Alberta tar sands contain 30 percent oil.  END 
NOTE)  According to the country manager, Resource Analytics 
would be able to ship its share of the oil through one of the 
pipelines going to Russia or across the Caspian Sea. 
 
¶3. (C) COMMENT: The country manager had previously told us 
that negotiating for this project was a long, trying process. 
 It seems that the company's efforts have paid off, if its 
technology works as planned.  Concerning crude oil export 
routes from Turkmenistan, the company's options include 
shipment by tanker to Azerbaijan.  END COMMENT 
CURRAN