Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Jan. 10 / Trend, D. Azizov /
The Fergana Refinery will modernize the production lines of Euro-3 and higher oil products by 2016 at a total cost of $100 million, a representative of the plant told Trend today.
According to the interlocutor of the agency, the winner of the tender announced in late 2011 to conduct audits and prepare preliminary feasibility studies on high-octane oil products at Fergana oil refinery is the French company Axens. It will execute the plant modernization project as well.
Axens will develop ways to optimize existing technological units at the plant, as well as schemes to increase the volume of light oil products up to 95%. A contract with the French company is planned to be signed by late January.
The project is part of the refinery modernization worth $ 205 million.
The Fergana Refinery commissioned an oil sludge processing unit worth $10 million in late 2012, a representative of the company told Trend.
According to the source, the power unit produces 5,000 tons of sludge annually.
The Feasibility Study was prepared by the Russian Research and Design Institute "Oil" (Orenburg).
The project was financed by the "Uzbekneftegaz" National Holding Company.
The project implementation will bring the oil content of the effluent to less than 20 milligrams per liter of air contaminants and no more than 25 milligrams per liter, as well as receive additional products of withheld oil.
As previously reported, "Uzbekneftegaz" currently implements projects at the Ferghana Refinery related to the modernization of hydroforming lube worth $80 million as well as the reconstruction of treatment facilities worth $14.4 million.
The Fergana Refinery was commissioned in 1959 and currently produces about 60 kinds of petroleum products. The design capacity is 5.5 million tons per year.
In 1999, Japan's Mitsui and Toyo Engineering carried out a project for the reconstruction of the plant worth about $200 million at the expense of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Under this project, a diesel hydrodesulphurization complex was put into operation.
In October 2006, a gas fracking installation worth about $8 million was put into operation at the plant; it increased the production of liquefied gas at the refinery from 5,000 to 6,700 tons annually.
Oil and gas condensate production in Uzbekistan is currently carried out at three refineries - Bukhara, Fergana and Altyaryk ("Altyaryk fuel production") with a total capacity of 11.12 million tons of oil annually. In particular, the Bukhara refinery produces high-quality types of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel. Its design capacity is 2.5 million tons of oil annually. The Ferghana and Altyaryk Plant's fuel and oil production areas have a processing capacity of 5.5 million and 3.2 million tons of oil. At present, these capacities are 60-70% full.
