Turkmenistan considering US companies' bids to develop its Caspian shelf.

ASHGABAT, August 13 (Itar-Tass) - Turkmenistan is considering tender bids from U.S. companies Shevron, TX Oil and ConocoPhilips, and Mudabala of the United Arab Emirates, a ConocoPhilips partner in sea projects in Kazakhstan, for the development of two sections of its Caspian shelf.

"Turkmenistan will have to choose the best option for the development
of its sea shelf sections number 9 and 20," local media cited Turkmenistan'
s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov as saying during a sectoral meeting
on Thursday.
Currently, the Turkmen section of the Caspian shelf is being developed
by Malaysia's Petronas, Dagon Oil (registered in Ireland and headquartered
in Dubai), and Canada's Buried Hill. Two more operators, Russia's Itera
and Germany's RWE, will soon start implementing projects on sea sections
number 21 and 23.
The Turkmen president instructed the country's energy sector officials
to "keep strict control over and to speed up environmental impact
assessment works."
According to expert estimates, Turkmenistan's Caspian hydrocarbon
resources stand approximately at 18 billion tons of oil.
-0-ras/gor