AS PART OF THE WORLD'S FIFTH-LARGEST CONSTRUCTION GROUP, BOUYGUES-TURKMEN HAS PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN NUMEROUS PROJECTS ACROSS TURKMENISTAN, MARKING ITS THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY IN THE COUNTRY.

COULD YOU HIGHLIGHT SOME OF BOUYGUES TURKMEN MOST SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE ITS CREATION?

Our company began its activities in Turkmenistan in 1994 with a mosque project in Geukdepe, one of the largest mosques in Central Asia at the time. Today, we are on our 68th project, having constructed numerous public buildings in Ashgabat, the white-marbled capital. Many of these buildings have become iconic, and all are sources of great pride for us. However, adhering to schedules, budgets, and ensuring top-quality work is not an achievement per se, it is our core commitment to our clients. One of our most significant accomplishments is being now at 67 million uninterrupted working hours without permanent injuries. The health and safety of our teams, partners, and stakeholders, in all environments and under all circumstances, is our absolute priority. This achievement reflects a continuous and collective commitment at all leadership levels, constant vigilance on major risks, meticulous attention to detail, regular training, transparency, and management courage.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE SUSTAINABILITY INTO THE OPERATIONS IN TURKMENISTAN?

Bouygues Construction is at the forefront of European companies striving for the highest levels of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Our carbon reduction targets and strategy have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We adhere to our internal certification standard, "Topsite," which encompasses energy use, biodiversity, social responsibility, and carbon emission reduction. This certification is stringent and not all of our Group’s sites achieve it. However, in Turkmenistan, 100% of our projects have been certified since Topsite's inception, a milestone we are very proud of. Our sustainability initiatives include waste sorting, utilizing solar energy in our offices and construction sites, recycling, and employing multimodal logistics with an emphasis on maritime transport. We procure certified and ecolabel materials to ensure environmentally friendly practices. In 2022, we began using a new cement containing 20% of Turkmen basalt, significantly reducing our carbon emissions, as cement production is a major source of carbon in our industry. We also offer our clients a broad range of energy-saving technical solutions. The recent decisions by the country's leadership in favor of carbon reduction are likely to increase interest in these technologies, and we are prepared to leverage our extensive European market expertise to meet this demand.

HOW BOUYGUES IS SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN TURKMENISTAN?

We have partnered with the "Yenme" association since 2012, providing social services for children with disabilities, the elderly, and people with reduced mobility. I am deeply moved by the events and actions we develop with "Yenme", particularly the personal time and care our Bouygues-Turkmen volunteers offer to those in difficult situations. Besides financial support, we focus on long-term assistance, training individuals in new skills, helping them secure paid employment, or starting their own small businesses. In 2018, we established the Bouygues-Turkmen Solidarity Fund, allocating a percentage of our payroll to support it. This fund has helped dozens of people recover their health and even save lives, benefiting both our staff and their families. Additionally, we transformed an abandoned building into a Carbon Training Center, where we hold awareness sessions on carbon reduction. This initiative has brought together a community around this critical issue. Over 1,000 students from Ashgabat’s secondary schools have participated in the French serious game "The Climate Fresk," which helps them understand climate change and its impact. Embassies and UN agencies also conduct their panels at this center. I hope this community continues to grow and thrive.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS FOR EXPANSION IN TURKMENISTAN?

Since gaining independence, Turkmenistan has built impressive infrastructure, transformed its capital Ashgabat, and constructed the remarkable Arkadag City. Construction has been a major driver of the Turkmen economy, and we believe it will continue to be so. Our strategy is to offer public clients the highest level of technology and sophistication in structural stability, aesthetics, functionality, energy savings, and carbon reduction for the buildings we deliver. We are also open to projects with the rapidly developing private sector. Maintaining high standards of health, safety, and ethics is essential to us and constitutes our competitive advantage. We hope these strengths will help us secure contracts, such as in the upcoming Ashgabat City mega development.