Uzbekistan eyes gas-driven downstream growth
New investment in gas-to-chemicals capacity could add value to an economy hobbled by declining Chinese import appetite
Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh Petroleum has firmed up plans to invest in a new state-of-the-art gas-to-chemicals complex, providing a welcome boost to the central Asian nation’s economic prospects in a year that has seen plunging gas exports to China. The joint venture between NOC Uzbekneftegaz and a subsidiary of Russia’s Gazprom will build a 500,000t/yr capacity olefins plant, based on methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology. It will process 1.5bn m³/yr of gas and manufacture high-quality polymers—supplying products to textile, processing, automotive, pharmaceutical and other industries. The facility is scheduled to start up in 2025 and will focus on production of low-density polyethylene, ethylene-vi
Also in this section
10 December 2024
Sector at economic and strategic crossroads, but clear path ahead for midstream additions
30 November 2024
Decades of turmoil have left Iraq’s vast energy potential underutilised, but renewed investment and strategic reforms are transforming it into a key player in the region
29 November 2024
The country's fifth and sixth oil and gas bid rounds have attracted a range of new players with gas as well as oil ambitions—and there’s a seismic shift in the contracting process
28 November 2024
Iraq is charting a new path for its indigenous resources and its youth, hoping to electrify the future with a mix of reforms and modernisation to fuel growth