Uzbekistan, Tashkent, July 5 / Trend, D. Azizov /
Uzbek-Korean joint venture Kor UNG Investments will complete the construction of a network of compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations worth $42.8 million in Uzbekistan by the end of the year, a source in government circles told Trend on Friday.
As previously reported, the project launched in March 2012 envisages construction of 50 CNG stations in all regions of the country with each station's annual output of up to four million cubic meters of compressed natural gas.
According to the source, 38 CNG stations have been built to date, and 12 more will be built by late 2013. Thus, construction of a network will be fully completed by the year's end, reducing construction time for a year.
Earlier, completion was planned for the end of 2014.
JV KOR UNG Investment was established in May 2011 by the Uzbek Avtogaztaminot (part of the Uzbekneftegaz National Holding Company, specializes in the supply of compressed natural gas for CNG) and Korean Kogas, Kolon, Kwangshin and Engine Tech for the construction and commissioning of 50 CNG stations in Uzbekistan.
The project is funded by the founders of the joint venture.
In early 2007, the Government of Uzbekistan adopted a program of road transport's phased transfer to natural gas in the country. As part of the program, it was planned to build 138 CNG filling stations across the country by the end of 2012 with a total reservoir of 708 million cubic meters of gas compression and 952 gas filling stations with a total capacity of 476,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, which allowed to transfer over 161,000 vehicles to gas.
Later, it was decided to open 352 CNG stations by the end of 2015 and bring the number of vehicles using compressed gas to 29 percent by 2016.
Currently, 20 percent of the total number of vehicles registered in the country use gas.
NHC Uzbekneftegaz's capacities allow for natural gas production in the volume of 70 billion cubic meters and liquid hydrocarbons in the volume of 8 million tons per year.
In 2012, natural gas production in Uzbekistan decreased by 0.2 percent to 62.911 billion cubic meters, while the production of liquefied hydrocarbon gases increased by 5.9 percent to 273.6 thousand tons.