Uzmetkombinat plans to modernize gas cleaning system worth $5 million

The refinery in Bukhara plans to increase its annual raw material processing capacity from 2.5 million to 5 million tons as part of a modernization project valued at 328 million US dollars.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev inspected the progress of preparations for this project during his visit to the enterprise located in the Karaulbazar district of the Bukhara region.

The Bukhara oil refinery is one of the largest producers of petroleum products in the country and employs over 3,200 specialists.

From January to September 2026, the plant produced 1.36 million tons of petroleum products worth 12.1 trillion sums. During this period, exports of products and services amounted to 99.5 million US dollars, and by the end of the year, the enterprise expects to increase exports to 116 million dollars.

Goals of Modernization and Technological Changes

The main goal of the modernization is to expand raw material processing and increase the output of high-octane motor gasoline. To achieve this goal, the plant intends to install equipment for naphtha hydrotreating and isomerization.

Hydrotreating will reduce the content of sulfur and other impurities in the raw materials, while isomerization will increase the octane number of gasoline obtained from light petroleum fractions. These technologies are necessary to increase the production of AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline, which meets the Euro-5 environmental standard.

The project also includes updating the processes of separating raw materials into fractions and deepening the processing of heavy residues. After implementing all planned measures, the plant's annual capacity will increase by another 2.5 million tons, reaching 5 million tons.

The expansion of production capacity is expected to lead to an increase in finished product output, strengthen supplies to the domestic market, and stimulate exports.

President's Instructions

During his visit, Mirziyoyev instructed the plant to adhere to the modernization deadlines and quality requirements, as well as ensure the compatibility of new equipment with existing production processes and maintain stable operation during the upgrade period.

Furthermore, the president held negotiations with representatives of foreign companies participating in this project.

Uzbekneftegaz expects to stabilize natural gas production by the end of 2026. To achieve this goal, the company plans to conduct well repairs, drill side wells, and commission compressor stations, as there are insufficient new wells and facilities to compensate for the decline in production from mature fields.

At a press conference on October 27, the company's chief geologist, Nodir Mukhiddinov, presented the current situation. From January to September 2026, Uzbekneftegaz and its subsidiaries produced about 17 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The company aims to increase the total production volume to 22.8 billion cubic meters by the end of the current year.

For comparison, in 2025, Uzbekneftegaz extracted 25.2 billion cubic meters of gas. If the target for 2026 is met, annual production will decrease by approximately 9.5%.

Reasons for Production Decline

Mukhiddinov pointed out that one of the main reasons for the drop in production is the advanced depletion of reserves in major gas fields. Over 80% of the recoverable reserves in these fields have already been extracted, which contributes to a constant decrease in output volume.

Additional volumes of gas obtained through geological surveys and the development of new wells have so far failed to compensate for losses in production at existing fields.

At the beginning of 2026, the daily natural gas production was 65 million cubic meters. Since then, the baseline daily production volume has decreased by 12.6 million cubic meters, of which about 5 million cubic meters per day remain uncompensated.

Measures to Slow Down the Decline

To slow the decline, Uzbekneftegaz has independently carried out capital and planned repairs on 79 wells since the beginning of the year. The company intends to restore daily gas production to the level of early 2026 by the end of December.

Plans include further well rehabilitation, commissioning facilities identified during geological exploration, and launching compressor stations at wellheads. Another priority is conducting technically complex well repairs, including drilling side wells in previously decommissioned wells. These measures should help compensate for the decline in production in depleted gas fields and stabilize the company's overall natural gas production volume.

Gail India is investing 600 crore rupees, equivalent to $63.1 million, in the construction of a heating unit at its LNG terminal in Ratnagiri. This decision was announced by the company's Director of Business Development to journalists on Wednesday.

The new installation will allow the company to operate the LNG terminal at full capacity, which is 5 million tons per year. This was reported by R.K. Singhal at an industry event.

Currently, the facility operates at only about 50% of its capacity because the heating unit is not yet ready. Singhal noted that previously, heat at the Ratnagiri facility was generated from the waste of a power plant managed by another entity, but this power plant is no longer operational.

Furthermore, Gail is building a small, proprietary power plant to generate the heat required for the liquefied natural gas facility.