Uzbekistan joins combustible shale boom

Tashkent. May 16. Silkroadnews – National Holding Company “UzbekNefteGas” plans to start developing “Sangrantau” combustible shale field in Navoiy Region, as Gazeta.uz informs.
The cost of combustible shale processing facility is estimated at USD 1 bln. Both internal funds and foreign borrowed capital is to be used to finance the project. This was reported by the Acting General Director of the UzbekNefteGas’ subsidiary responsible for designing projects (“UzLITIneftegaz”), Ulugbek Saidov at “Oil and Gas Uzbekistan” international exposition in Tashkent. He says it’s possible that facility construction will start in 2014.
The first stage of the project (2014-2015) is to be completed once the complex with 2 mln tonnes of shale refining capacity is launched. The second milestone is to be reached once the facility refining capacity reaches 8 mln combustible shale (between 2015 and 2018). But that time production of oil products is to reach 1 mln tinnes per year. The holding company has now announced a tender for shale refining technology.
Russian “AtomEnergoProekt” completed project design for “UzbekNefteGas’” refining facility at the Sangruntau combustible shale field. Project predisposes construction of 7 plants, each of which is to refine 1 mln tonnes of shale.
Along with Russian “AtomEnergoProekt”, “UzbekNefteGas” orders project designs from Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp (JOGMEC), Estonian Esta Oil, as well as well as from a number of Korean and Chinese Companies.
Uzbekistan’s combustible shale reserves are estimated at 47 bln tonnes.