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
6 February 2026
The long close relationship between key supplier Qatar and pivotal buyer Japan becomes even deeper following new landmark deal
6 February 2026
Partnerships across the LNG value chain have evolved over time, growing in both complexity and importance, according to panellists at LNG2026
6 February 2026
Nigeria's mega-refinery is still trying to solve many challenges, all while its owner talks up expansion
5 February 2026
While broadly supportive of EU efforts to tackle methane emissions, representatives of the gas industry warn it could deter supply contracting if timelines and compliance requirements are not made more pragmatic
