Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Feb 14/ Trend D. Azizov/
The Uztransgaz Stock Company, a structural unit of the National Holding Company (NHC) Uzbekneftegaz, plans to complete the construction of a modern Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition technology (SKADA) system on the gas-transport system of the republic during the first half of 2012, a company source told Trend.
As reported earlier, the $81 million worth project was planned to be completed before the end of 2012.
Uztransgaz and the Chinese Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell firm already signed a contract to supply a turnkey design and supply of gas transmission facilities in 2008.
The Chinese company will restore the electrochemical protection of pipelines and radio communication along the route. It will also carry out the lining of telecommunications with the installation of a backbone system for signal transmission over a fibre-optic communication line (FOCL) for two thousand kilometres and supervisory control and data acquisition technology on the gas-transport system (SCADA).
Five compressor stations and 86 gas distribution stations, 109 valve stations, six regional and one central and one backup control station are planned to connect to the SCADA. In addition, installation of video surveillance equipment, the construction of telephone exchanges and other related facilities are planned.
The project will be funded via Uztransgaz I to the sum of $7.4 million and a Chinese Eximbank's loan worth $73.6 million. The loan is granted for a period of 20 years with five-year grace period and annual interest rate of two per cent.
The Uzpromstroybank and Eximbank of China have agreed to sign the individual loan agreement to engage the soft loan from the Chinese government.
Uztransgaz controls the Uzbekistan gas-transport system. As of today, Uztransgaz operates 13.274 thousand kilometres of gas mains in a one line calculation. Separate parts of powerful gas transmission systems, Central Asia-Centre and Bukhara-Ural, for natural gas transit and export are laid to the west of Uzbekistan. Uztransgaz operates 24 compressor and more than 300 gas distribution stations.
Uzbekneftegaz is a monopoly operator in the Uzbek oil and gas complex. It was established in 1998 uniting six joint stock companies. Uzbekistan ranks second in the CIS for natural gas production and is one of the world's largest gas producers. Uzbekistan produces around 60 billion cubic metres of gas annually.