Turkmenistan, Ashgabad, April 19/Trend, H. Hasanov
Turkmenistan's biggest oil refinery - the Turkmenbashi refinery - refined more than 1.5 million tons of crude oil in the first quarter of 2011 in accordance with forecasts, the Turkmen Oil & Gas Industry Ministry reported on Tuesday.
The output of polypropylene, which is an important refinery export item, exceeded the plan by 36 percent.
In the reported period, the refinery produced more than 480,000 tons of diesel fuel, of which some 80 percent was hydrofined fuel.
The pace of hydrofined fuel production growth reached 122 percent.
Owing to foreign investments, the refinery underwent reconstruction worth $1.6 billion.
Turkmenistan plans to increase its annual refining capacity to 15 million tons of crude oil in 2015, 20 million tons in 2020, 22 million tons in 2025, and 30 million tons in 2030.
According to approved programs, the increase will be achieved at the expense of three new oil refineries to be built and the enhancement of existing refineries.