Turkmenistan has approached the European Union to help it redevelop its oil and gas industry under the auspices of the Inogate programme.

Inogate supports international cooperation between the European Union, the littoral states of the Black & Caspian Seas and their neighbouring countries, covering areas such as electricity, oil and gas, energy efficiency, renewables and climate change.

Speaking anonymously to Azerbaijan's ABC news agency, a source close to the Inogate project said that the project has a primary budget of around €1.8 million euros and will cover areas such as systems management, data acquisition, investment, and training and development.

"The project includes training courses and trainee jobs abroad for the personnel to be hired in governmental agencies," said the source.

The new project may also lead to more accurate reporting techniques that will provide a realistic estimate for total oil and gas reserves in the country.

Getenergy for Russia & CIS, 19th – 20th May 2010 - Moscow