Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sept. 2
By Demir Azizov- Trend:
The Uzbekneftegaz National Holding Company (NHC) has launched a project to modernize the Mubarek Gas Processing Plant (GPP) (Kashkadarya region, south of Uzbekistan) worth $235.7 million, the holding company told Trend Sept.2.
It was previously reported that the project "Compensation of retired capacities on Mubarek Gas Processing Plant provides for the phased construction of the eighth stage of gas desulfurization composed of three universal units, the 19th, 20th and 21st one, with a total capacity of six billion cubic meters per year.
The project will be financed by a loan at the expense of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan worth $51 million and own funds of Uzbekneftegaz NHC.
The construction is scheduled to be completed by late 2016.
In July 2013, Uzbekneftegaz NHC completed construction of the seventh phase of gas desulphurization as part of three universal blocks (the 16th, 17th and 18th) with a total capacity of six billion cubic meters per year. In Q3 of 2012, the 18th block was commissioned, and in the first half of 2013 - the remaining two blocks.
Mubarek gas processing plant (GPP) was commissioned in 1971. At present, the capacity of the plant is about 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas and more than 570,000 tons of gas condensate per year.
In 2012, Uzbekneftegaz and Indorama created on a parity basis the UzIndoramaGazChemical joint venture for the construction of the gas chemical complex on the basis of the Mubarek gas refinery. The project on the construction of a gas chemical complex with initial cost of $2.5 billion envisages the creation of a facility with production design capacity of about 500,000 metric tons of polyethylene per year.
"Uzbekneftegaz" NHC is the monopoly operator of the oil and gas sector of Uzbekistan. It was established in 1998 and comprises six joint stock companies.
Uzbekistan production holds the third place among the CIS countries for natural gas and is among the ten largest gas-producing countries in the world. Every year the country produces about 60 billion cubic meters of gas.
Edited by CN