Uzbekistan, Tashkent, May 29 / Trend D. Azizov /
Russian Lukoil Company in the first quarter of this year increased its natural gas production in Uzbekistan by 70.2 percent, the company said on Tuesday.
In particular, the production of gas from the Hissar field, where commercial production began in December 2011, amounted to 233 million cubic meters, in the Khauzak field production volume increased by 35.9 percent - up to 244 million cubic meters.
As previously reported, Lukoil started gas production in Uzbekistan in autumn 2007 under the 'Kandym-Khauzak-Shady-Kungrad' PSA, signed in 2004 for a term of 35 years. In 2010 the company brought the production of gas in the project up to three billion cubic meters and plans to bring it up to four billion cubic meters in 2012.
In 2014 the company intends to get the early gas in the Kandym field and by 2017 to bring this production to 10 billion cubic meters.
At present, Lukoil works over implementation of three projects in Uzbekistan - Kandym - Khauzak - Shady - Kungrad, development of Southwestern Gissar, as well as conducts exploration of the Uzbek part of Aral Sea as part of an international consortium.
In the first two projects under the PSA, Lukoil plans by 2017 to produce 18 billion cubic meters of gas and to bring the volume of investment up to $5 billion against $1.5 billion invested to date.
According to State Statistics Committee, production of natural gas in Uzbekistan in January - March 2012 decreased by 3.2 per cent - to 16.244 billion cubic meters.