Japan, Turkmenistan sign huge deals

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.com/en/japan-turkmenistan-sign-huge-deals/a-18802816

The two countries are teaming up to tap the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves. Japan may be late to the game in Turkmenistan, but its engineering expertise might just help it gain a foothold on the hot market.

Japan, Turkmenistan sign huge deals
23.10.2015

Japan and Turkmenistan on Friday signed a raft of deals, ranging from natural gas to chemicals, worth more than $18 billion (16.4 billion euros).

One of the biggest agreements saw engineering giant JGC join a large-scale cooperation to build a plant linked to natural gas fields. This makes it the latest Japanese company to help Turkmenistan convert its vast natural gas reserves into anything from plastic to liquid fuel and fertilizers.

"Government bodies and private companies of Japan, as a united team, will work as much as possible with Turkmenistan with the goal of reaching a new milestone in its industrial development with the active use of natural gas," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was accompanied by a delegation of business representatives on his week-long tour of five Central Asian states.

Friday crowned the first-ever official visit by a Japanese leader to the reclusive, ex-Soviet country, and comes at a time when the race to tap the Central Asian nation's energy resources is heating up.