Latest news with #Turkmengaz
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- RTÉ News
Turkmenistan's methane-spewing 'Gateway to Hell' loses its anger
People who travel to see the "Gateway to Hell" gas crater in the middle of the Turkmenistan desert expecting an angry cauldron, are now coming away unimpressed. Once a giant uncontrollable pit of red flames and glowing red embers, the 70m wide hole is now just a charred cauldron with only a few pockets of small fires. After letting it burn for 50 years, authorities in the reclusive Central Asian state have finally moved to put out the fire, which spews huge quantities of methane into the atmosphere. "I'm a little disappointed," said one tourist, who travelled five hours north from the capital Ashgabat to get to see what she thought would be an inferno in the Karakum desert. "On the internet we saw impressive pictures of burning flames. Now we realise they were old photos and videos. The reality is different," she said. Reducing the fire is an important step for Turkmenistan's climate ambitions. The world's biggest methane emitter through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency, it has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But putting out the fire means killing off the Darvaza gas crater as the country's top tourist attraction. Several nearby wells have been drilled to reduce the flow of gas. "Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains," Irina Luryeva, a director at state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, told a conference in June. 'Risking your life' The road from Ashgabat to the crater is covered with cracks and potholes, making the journey for would-be tourists treacherous. "You have to swerve round the potholes and sand dunes, risking your life," a driver said. The desert covers some 80% of the country and sees temperatures soar to more than 50C in summer and plunge to minus 20C in the winter. It is also home to vast natural resources, with Turkmenistan estimated to have the world's fourth largest gas reserves. It was Soviet scientists, exploring the region's potential, who set the crater on fire after they accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas in 1971. "There was a danger of poisoning the local population and farm animals, so the geologists decided to set it on fire, hoping that it would soon burn out," said Turkmen geologist Anatoly Bushmakin. "However, the crater is still burning," he added. Under long-time president, now 'father-of-the-nation', Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan had flipped between wanting to tame the crater or use it to boost tourism to the isolated country. In 2022, Mr Berdymukhamedov finally ordered it be extinguished completely - citing both environmental and economic concerns. It "has a negative impact on both the environment and the health of people living nearby," he said. "Valuable natural resources are being lost, the export of which could generate significant profits and be used to improve the well-being of our people," he added. 'Lost income' Turkmenistan has also signed up to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims for a 30% global reduction in methane emissions by 2030. But not everybody is on board with the plan. Locals that relied on the the draw of the pit's spectacular appearance for their income are worried. "If Darvaza stops burning completely, many tourist companies will lose income," said Ovez Muradov who works in a tour agency in Ashgabat. The Gateway to Hell was one of the only tourist attractions in Turkmenistan, one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world, according to rights groups. The country sees hardly any foreign visitors, though leaders have talked up the prospects of boosting numbers. Mr Muradov said extinguishing the fire would douse those ambitions. "I'm no expert, but I don't think the extinguished crater will have much impact on the environment, but the tourism industry will lose a significant chunk of income."
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Turkmenistan's Methane-spewing 'Gateway To Hell' Loses Its Anger
People go to the "Gateway to Hell" gas crater in the middle of the Turkmenistan desert expecting an angry cauldron but are now coming away unimpressed. Once a giant uncontrollable pit of red flames and glowing red embers, the 70-metre (230 feet) wide hole is now just a charred cauldron with only a few pockets of small fires. After letting it burn for 50 years, authorities in the reclusive Central Asian state have finally moved to put out the fire, which spews huge quantities of methane into the atmosphere. "I'm a little disappointed," said Irina, 35, who travelled five hours north from the capital Ashgabat to get to see what she thought would be an inferno in the Karakum desert. "On the internet we saw impressive pictures of burning flames. Now we realise they were old photos and videos. The reality is different," she told AFP. Reducing the fire is an important step for Turkmenistan's climate ambitions. The world's biggest methane emitter through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency, it has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But putting out the fire means killing off the Darvaza gas crater as the country's top tourist attraction. Several nearby wells have been drilled to reduce the flow of gas. "Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains," Irina Luryeva, a director at state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, told a conference in June. The road from Ashgabat to the crater is covered with cracks and potholes, making the journey for would-be tourists treacherous. "You have to swerve round the potholes and sand dunes, risking your life," driver Aman, 28, told AFP at a gas station on the way. The desert covers some 80 percent of the country and sees temperatures soar to more than 50C in summer and plunge to minus 20C in the winter. It is also home to vast natural resources, with Turkmenistan estimated to have the world's fourth largest gas reserves. It was Soviet scientists, exploring the region's potential, who set the crater on fire after they accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas in 1971. "There was a danger of poisoning the local population and farm animals, so the geologists decided to set it on fire, hoping that it would soon burn out," said Turkmen geologist Anatoly Bushmakin. "However, the crater is still burning," he added. Under long-time president, now 'father-of-the-nation', Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan had flipped between wanting to tame the crater or use it to boost tourism to the isolated country. In 2022, Berdymukhamedov finally ordered it be extinguished completely -- citing both environmental and economic concerns. It "has a negative impact on both the environment and the health of people living nearby," he said. "Valuable natural resources are being lost, the export of which could generate significant profits and be used to improve the well-being of our people," he added. Turkmenistan has also signed up to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims for a 30-percent global reduction in methane emissions by 2030. But not everybody is on board with the plan. Locals that relied on the the draw of the pit's spectacular appearance for their income are worried. "If Darvaza stops burning completely, many tourist companies will lose income," said Ovez Muradov, 43, who works in a tour agency in Ashgabat. The Gateway to Hell was one of the only tourist attractions in Turkmenistan, one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world, according to rights groups. The country sees hardly any foreign visitors, though leaders have talked up the prospects of boosting numbers. Muradov said extinguishing the fire would douse those ambitions. "I'm no expert, but I don't think the extinguished crater will have much impact on the environment, but the tourism industry will lose a significant chunk of income." Reducing the fire is an important step for Turkmenistan's climate ambitions AFP Soviet scientists set the crater on fire in 1971 after they accidentally drilled into a pocket of gas AFP The pit used to be a cauldron of angry flames visible from kilometres away AFP
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
Turkmenistan's methane-spewing 'Gateway to Hell' loses its anger
Once a giant uncontrollable pit of red flames and glowing red embers, the 70-metre (230 feet) wide hole is now just a charred cauldron with only a few pockets of small fires. After letting it burn for 50 years, authorities in the reclusive Central Asian state have finally moved to put out the fire, which spews huge quantities of methane into the atmosphere. "I'm a little disappointed," said Irina, 35, who travelled five hours north from the capital Ashgabat to get to see what she thought would be an inferno in the Karakum desert. "On the internet we saw impressive pictures of burning flames. Now we realise they were old photos and videos. The reality is different," she told AFP. Reducing the fire is an important step for Turkmenistan's climate ambitions. The world's biggest methane emitter through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency, it has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But putting out the fire means killing off the Darvaza gas crater as the country's top tourist attraction. Several nearby wells have been drilled to reduce the flow of gas. "Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains," Irina Luryeva, a director at state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, told a conference in June. 'Risking your life' The road from Ashgabat to the crater is covered with cracks and potholes, making the journey for would-be tourists treacherous. "You have to swerve round the potholes and sand dunes, risking your life," driver Aman, 28, told AFP at a gas station on the way. The desert covers some 80 percent of the country and sees temperatures soar to more than 50C in summer and plunge to minus 20C in the winter. It is also home to vast natural resources, with Turkmenistan estimated to have the world's fourth largest gas reserves. It was Soviet scientists, exploring the region's potential, who set the crater on fire after they accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas in 1971. "There was a danger of poisoning the local population and farm animals, so the geologists decided to set it on fire, hoping that it would soon burn out," said Turkmen geologist Anatoly Bushmakin. "However, the crater is still burning," he added. Under long-time president, now 'father-of-the-nation', Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan had flipped between wanting to tame the crater or use it to boost tourism to the isolated country. In 2022, Berdymukhamedov finally ordered it be extinguished completely -- citing both environmental and economic concerns. It "has a negative impact on both the environment and the health of people living nearby," he said. "Valuable natural resources are being lost, the export of which could generate significant profits and be used to improve the well-being of our people," he added. 'Lost income' Turkmenistan has also signed up to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims for a 30-percent global reduction in methane emissions by 2030. But not everybody is on board with the plan. Locals that relied on the the draw of the pit's spectacular appearance for their income are worried. "If Darvaza stops burning completely, many tourist companies will lose income," said Ovez Muradov, 43, who works in a tour agency in Ashgabat. The Gateway to Hell was one of the only tourist attractions in Turkmenistan, one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world, according to rights groups. The country sees hardly any foreign visitors, though leaders have talked up the prospects of boosting numbers. Muradov said extinguishing the fire would douse those ambitions. "I'm no expert, but I don't think the extinguished crater will have much impact on the environment, but the tourism industry will lose a significant chunk of income." © 2025 AFP
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Turkmenistan's ‘Gateway to Hell' fire reduced after 50 years
Turkmenistan said last month it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site called the 'Gateway to Hell'. The fire has been burning in the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert since 1971. Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and lit it. Since then, the fire has been releasing a lot of methane. This gas contributes to climate change. Methane gas burns when fuel, oxygen and heat come together. These three things make up the fire triangle (see graphic). Officials said the fire – which has become the country's top tourist attraction – had been reduced threefold without specifying the time frame. 'Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains,' said Irina Luryeva, a director at the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz. Many wells have been drilled around the fire to capture methane, she said at an environmental conference in Ashgabat, the capital. Turkmenistan is one of the world's most closed countries. It is estimated to have the planet's fourth-largest gas reserves. The country is the biggest emitter of methane through gas leaks, according to the International Energy Agency. However, the nation's authorities deny this claim.
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
After 54 Years, Fires In The ‘Gates To Hell' May Finally Burn Out
The burning gas crater in Turkmenistan dubbed "Gateway to Hell.' During an international conference on hydrocarbon resources in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat earlier this month, Irina Luryeva, head of the scientific research institute in the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, announced that the fires feed by natural methane seepage in the 'Gateway to Hell' are slowly burning out. "Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometers away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains," says Luryeva in a quote published by In January 2022, former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow appeared on state television announcing plans to 'close' the "Gates of Hell," a giant natural gas crater in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of Ashgabat, citing pollution, health concerns and a loss of 'valuable natural resources.' The crater was (supposedly, as there are no official documents available) created in 1971 during a Soviet drilling accident that hit a gas cavern, causing the rig to fall in and the ground to collapse around it. The Soviets decided to burn off the gas by setting it on fire to prevent the dangerous fumes from spreading. Unfortunately, tapping into a vast natural reservoir of flammable methane gas, the pit has been burning since then, even growing in size over time. The now 70 meters (229 feet) wide and 20 meters (65 feet) deep crater was a popular tourist attraction, especially at night time. Officially named the "Shining of Karakum," the crater is also known as the Darvaza Crater, after the nearby village of Darvaza, and online as the 'Door to Hell', 'Gateway to Hell' or 'Gates of Hell' thanks to the boiling mud and roaring, red burning flames covering the crater floor. According to Luryeva, numerous wells have been drilled around the crater to release the methane in a controlled way and cut off the the flame's fuel supply. Turkmenistan possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas in its underground, exporting gas to countries such as Pakistan, China, India, Iran and Russia.
