Uzbekistan has plans to commence production at its first gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in the fourth quarter of this year.
The $3.6bn plant, which is nearing completion in the Guzar district of the Kashkadarya region, is expected to help the country reduce its reliance on oil product imports, reported Reuters.
The plant is being delivered by the state-owned oil and gas firm Uzbekneftegaz in partnership with South Africa’s Sasol.
This facility will be equipped to process natural gas reserves to produce clean transport fuel.
Uzbekneftegaz told the news agency in a statement: “The start of GTL plant production will help to significantly decrease Uzbekistan’s import of diesel and jet fuel.”
With the capacity to process 3.6 billion cubic metres of gas a year, the GTL plant is expected to generate about 1.5 million tonnes of quality and environmentally friendly synthetic liquid fuel.
It will have the capacity to produce about 307,000t of synthetic kerosene, 724,000t of synthetic diesel, 437,000t of synthetic naphtha, and 53,000t of liquefied gas.
These products would be primarily be supplied to meet the domestic demand, and will also be exported to address the demand for synthetic fuel globally.
The GTL complex comprises four key production facilities of the utilities supply plant, synthesis gas production plant, synthesis liquid production plant, and product work-up plant.
