trend.az  

 

December 23, 2013

 

Uzbek President Islam Karimov has approved an agreement with the countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on scientific and technical cooperation by signing a decree, a representative of government circles told Trend on Dec.23.

The agreement was signed in September 2013 in Bishkek. It envisages the implementation of cooperation with SCO member states in organising scientific and technical research, working out and implementing joint programmes and projects, the development and use of innovative technology in various scientific fields, the exchange of scientific and technical information and exchange of experts and scientists.

It is expected that the agreement will contribute to the development of multilateral cooperation between the SCO member states in scientific and technical areas.

The SCO includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The observer states in the SCO are Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan.

platts.com  

 

December 27, 2013

 

South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Friday it has won a $3.2 billion deal to build a gas-to-liquid plant in Uzbekistan that can produces about 38,000 b/d of liquefied gas.
Under the contract, the company will build the plant by August 2017. The order was placed by Uzbek consortium Oltin Yol GTL, Hyundai said. It refused to disclose further details citing a request from the Uzbek consortium.
Oltin Yol GTL is a joint venture formed in 2011 by Uzbekneftegaz with a 44.5% share, Sasol with 44.5%, and Malaysia's Petronas with 11%.
The GTL plant will be adjacent to the existing Shurtan Gas Chemical complex in the Kashkadarya region in southern Uzbekistan. The project is estimated to cost $4.5 billion. 

The project's primary aim is to allow Uzbekistan to use domestic gas resources to help meet transportation fuel demand, an official from the JV told Platts in May.
The plant is expected to produce 38,000 b/d of products, including diesel, kerosene, naphtha and LPG. The bulk of the production will be GTL diesel and GTL kerosene, according to the JV's website.
The facility will use about 350 million cubic feet/day of methane-rich gas.
Uzbekistan is rich in natural gas with reserves estimated at 1.84 trillion cubic meters (or 65 Tcf) as of January 2012, according to the website. The country currently produces around 60 Bcm/year of natural gas, the JV said.
Earlier this month, Hyundai Engineering clinched a $1.4 billion deal from Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA to build part of a $2.3 billion Batalla de Santa Ines refinery with a capacity of 40,000 b/d. 

azernews.az  

 

December 23, 2013

 

Uzbekistan plans to attract South Korean loan for construction of a solar photovoltaic power plant, a source at Uzbek governmental circles told Baku-based Trend news agency on December 20.

The power plant with capacity of 100 megawatt is planned to be built in the country's Samarqand province.

The source said during his recent visit to South Korea, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Rustam Azimov signed an intergovernmental memorandum of understanding on technical and financial participation of South Korea in the development of solar energy in Uzbekistan.

South Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) will allocate loan worth $75 million for implementation of this project, the source noted.

The project of construction of the first photovoltaic solar power plant in Central Asia envisages the installation of generating facilities of 100 megawatt with a capacity of 200 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

Earlier the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the first photovoltaic solar power plant in Uzbekistan will be constructed no earlier than 2019.

"This project will take five years and is supposed to be completed in March 2019," the ADB said.

Uzbekistan's potential of renewable energy sources amounts to about 51 billion tons of oil equivalent. The country's hydropower potential is 9.2 million tons of oil equivalents, while the potential of solar energy with 300 sunny days per year is 50.973 billion tons, wind potential 2.2 million tons and geothermal waters 0.2 million tons of oil equivalents.

In early 2013, Uzbekistan developed a set of measures for development of alternative sources of energy. The country established the International Institute for Solar Energy jointly with ADB in September 2013.

The institute is aimed to implement high-tech developments in the field of industrial application of solar energy, to conduct applied researches, related to the use of solar energy in various sectors of economy and to coordinate the development of documentation for major projects in the field of solar energy.

en.trend.az  

 

December 23, 2013

 

A consortium of European companies led by European Profiles S.A. (Greece), as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Uzbekistan began the 'Management Training Programme - Strengthening the capacity of managers of small businesses and private entrepreneurship in Uzbekistan' project, Uzbek Chamber of Commerce told Trend on Dec.20.

The consortium also includes WYG International Limited (UK), the Chamber of Commerce of Paris Ile-de-France (France), the Chamber of Commerce of Birmingham (UK), PLANET S.A. (Greece) and Anticrisis Management Consulting (Uzbekistan).

The main purpose of the project financed by the European Union is to contribute towards increasing the number of skilled entrepreneurs and managers who can effectively manage small and private businesses, as well as to ensure their sustainable development in the long term.

The project envisages a series of training activities for managers and experts of small business and private entrepreneurship, including their training in EU countries.

It is also planned to strengthen the potential and to improve the qualification of experts of the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other organisations that support the business.

The main beneficiary of the project is the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce which acts as a partner of the project by investing non-financial funds, including logistical and technical support and the creation of training conditions.

The country's Chamber of Commerce believes that the project will enable managers of Uzbek companies to share their experiences with their European counterparts and study modern management methods. They will also be able to establish relationships with new partners from EU countries.

The training programme will be implemented by August 2016.

The share of small business in the country's GDP increased by 0.2 per cent in Jan.-Sept. 2013 compared to the same period of 2012 amounting to 51.2 per cent, in industry - 23.3 per cent (22.3 per cent the previous year), in employment - 75.6 per cent (75.1 per cent a year ago) and exports - 19.1 per cent (13.5 per cent a year ago), according to Uzbekistan's official statistics.