The construction of a 500/400 kV power line from Mary, Turkmenistan, to Mashhad, Iran, is included in Turkmenistan’s 2026 socio-economic development and investment program and is expected to become a key project in the country’s energy sector, the newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan reported Tuesday.

The program also calls for converting gas-turbine units at state power plants in Ahal, Balkan, Dashoguz, and Lebap provinces to synchronous compensation mode. Plans include building a new power plant and transmission systems in the Turkmenbashi district of Balkan province, as well as further developing modern energy infrastructure in the city of Arkadag.

In the oil and gas sector, priorities for 2026 include exploring new hydrocarbon resources, increasing reserves, and drilling initial production wells at the Galkynyş field.

A flagship project will be the construction of the Serhetabat–Herat section, known as Arkadagyň ak ýoly, part of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) pipeline.

The program also envisages completing and commissioning several key transport infrastructure projects in 2026.