Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

The National Holding Company (NHC) Uzbekneftegaz plans to implement a project to expand the production capacity of Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex (GCC).

Currently, the complex is producing polyethylene in the amount of 75,000 tons per year, a representative of the holding told Trend.

"The capacity of Shurtan GCC for the production of polyethylene amounts to 125,000 tons, by the end of the project, at the end of 2019, it will increase up to 200,000 tons," the source said.

The preliminary cost of the project is $ 400 million, according to the source. The project is planned to be financed from the loan of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan in the amount of $ 100 million, loans of international financial organizations in the amount of $ 250 million and own funds of Uzbekneftegaz.

The implementation of the project is planned to involve Korean GS Engineering & Construction, which participated in the construction of the Ustyurt GCC. The form of partnership with a potential investor is being discussed.

The Shurtan GCC with the designed capacity of 125,000 tons of polyethylene per year was put into operation in 2001. The enterprise also produces 137 tons of liquefied gas annually, 130,000 tons of light condensate, 4.2 billion cubic meters of commodity gas and 4,000 tons of sulfur. Since 2006, the processing of polyethylene and the production of pipes and fittings for gas pipelines with a capacity of 25,000 tons per year has been established.

In addition to the Shurtan GCC in Uzbekistan, the Mubarek Gas Processing Plant (Kashkadarya region, the south of Uzbekistan, a part of the Uzbekneftegaz NHC) and the Ustyurt GCC, which was commissioned in 2015, operate in Uzbekistan.

The capacity of the Mubarek GPP (commissioned in 1971) for the purification and drying of natural gas is 33.5 billion cubic meters, the production of stable condensate gas is 186,000 tons, liquefied gas is 258,000 tons, technical sulfur gas is 417,000 tons per year.

The production capacities of the Ustyurt GCC allow to process 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually and produce up to 4 billion cubic meters of commercial gas, 387,000 tons of polyethylene, 83,000 tons of polypropylene and 102,000 tons of pyrolysis gasoline.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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