President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has taken part in the opening ceremony of the country’s first-ever combined cycle gas-steam turbine power plant at the Mary Hydroelectric Power Station. The power plant is the Central Asia’s largest power facility of new generation. As opposed to traditional simple-cycle hydroelectric power plants, combined cycle power plants have considerable advantages – they are more lucrative, highly economical and environmentally friendly, and consume less natural gas. Among those attending the opening ceremony were foreign guests, who made speeches and presented certificates to the head of state in recognition of the new facility’s benefits. In particular, Director for Europe of the Environmental Health Trust (USA) Annie Sasco handed an Environment Certificate; Regional Director for Europe, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Andreas Jansen presented a High-technology Energy Plant Certificate, Director of Energy Department Anton Lepigson the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion - a Sustainability and Efficiency Certificate. Appreciative to the senior officials of the international organizations for the awards, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said that he regards them as a token of Turkmenistan’s ever-increasing international prestige and recognition of its achievements in the adoption of innovative and environmental technologies in construction of buildings and facilities. The Turkmen leader highlighted that the introduction of innovations into the sector and our country’s enormous reserves of natural gas, one of the most efficient and cleanest fuels for power plants, enable to effectively tackle the tasks in the strategic sector of the economy.