Uzbekistan, Tashkent, April 15 / Trend D.Azizov /
Uzbek-Russian JV Jarkurganneftepererabotka (Surkhandaryo province) announced a tender for the purchase of oil refining equipment with an opening bid of $39 million, a representative of the National Holding Company (NHC) Uzbekneftegaz told Trend on Monday.
According to him, the tender was announced for a turnkey purchase of the equipment in order to increase the refining capacity of bituminous (heavy) oil in the licensed area of the joint venture. Tender offers are accepted until May 12 and the results planned to be summed up in the first half of this year.
The project at a cost of $42.3 will increase the production of gasoline, diesel and heating oil, as well as bitumen in 2016 twofold on average by increasing the resource base of the enterprise and expanding its refining facilities.
SP Jarkurganneftepererabotka was created in 2003 by the Russian LLC company Petromaruz (St. Petersburg) with a 55 per cent stake and OJSC Jarkurganneft with a 45 per cent share.
In September 2005, the joint venture commissioned a 'heavy' oil refining plant. The design capacity of the plant is 130,000 tons of crude heavy oil per year used for the production of 60,000 tons of bitumen and 50,000 tons of diesel fuel.
OJSC Jarkurganneft is a part of the Uzneftegazdobycha JSC which is a subsidiary company of Uzbekneftegaz.
Jarkurganneft is developing eight oil fields in Surkhandaryo province where Uzbekistan's main heavy oil deposits are concentrated. The largest of them is Kokaydy, explored in 1939.
