Turkmenistan - Turkmenbashi Port Improvement Project

Page 1 PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: AB6140 Project Name Turkmenbashi Port Improvement Project Region EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA Country Turkmenistan Sector Ports, waterways and shipping (100%) Project ID P123676 Borrower(s) Government of Turkmenistan Implementing Agency State Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan, Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan Environment Category [ ] A [X] B [ ] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined) Date PID Prepared January 5, 2011 Estimated Date of Appraisal Authorization April 18, 2011 Estimated Date of Board Approval July 28, 2011 1. Information and Context Located along the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. It is a fairly large country (488,000 sq. km) but sparsely populated (est. pop. 5 million), with the Karakum desert covering over 80 percent of its land area. Less than half of its population lives in urban areas. The capital, Ashgabat (est. pop. 1 mi llion) is situated in the south near the border with Iran, while Turkmenbashi, the country