TURKMENISTAN: MARATHON TRIES TO INTEREST

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 001318 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN AND EEB; STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTDA DAN STEIN ENERGY FOR EKIMOFF/THOMPSON COMMERCE FOR HUEPER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EPET TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MARATHON TRIES TO INTEREST GOVERNMENT IN PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) Marathon Oil Corporation Senior Vice President told the Charge December 3 that his company wants to interest Turkmenistan in its proprietary gas-to-fuels technology, a gas-conversion process that he claimed is more carbon-efficient than conventional gas-conversion processes. To that end, Marathon sent a five-person team to Turkmenistan December 3-7 to meet with the Executive Director of the State Agency for Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources, Bayrammyrat Muradov, and also, possibly, President Berdimuhamedov. Marathon currently has no plans to bid on or work any of Turkmenistan's oil or gas blocks. Instead, Marathon wants to buy Turkmenistan's gas, turn it into "something useful," then transport it elsewhere. The Marathon Senior Vice President reported that the national petroleum companies in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia have expressed some interest in receiving Marathon's product. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: The number of oil and gas sector companies interested in doing business in or with Turkmenistan continues to increase, and these companies increasingly are checking in with the Embassy not just to let the Embassy know they are in town and to get a briefing but also in hopes of gleaning information on possible new business opportunities. On December 4, Embassy's Pol/Econ Chief met with the General Director of Caspian Downhole Services (an oil and gas service company),another Amcit businessman who also wanted insight into starting operations here. END COMMENT. CURRAN