Azernews

May 14, 2015 

Russia's Lukoil started trial operation of two rigs of preliminary gas preparation in the North Shady area and the Kuvachi-Alat field in Bukhara region (south of Uzbekistan) jointly with the National Holding Company Uzbekneftegaz within the framework of Early Kandym gas project, which is being implemented in Uzbekistan, the company reported.

Rigs with a total capacity of 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas a year will receive natural gas from 34 wells and after preparation will deliver raw materials to the Mubarek Gas Processing Plant. Commissioning of new facilities will allow LUKOIL to significantly increase the volume of gas produced in Uzbekistan, said the message.

Early Kandym gas is the first stage of the project for the integrated development of Kandym group of fields within the Kandym-Khauzak-Shady-Kungrad PSA. Kandym group includes six gas condensate fields - Kandym, Kuvachi-Alat, Akkum, Parsankul, Khoji and Western Khoji. The Northern Shady site of Dengizkul field is located on the territory of Khauzak-Shady, but its improvement is carried out within the framework of the Early Kandym gas project.

Lukoil has implemented the Kandym project since 2004 together with the National Holding Company Uzbekneftegaz under the production sharing agreement (PSA) for the development of the Kandym-Hauzak-Shady-Kungrad fields. Commercial production at the Hauzak site started in autumn 2007.

It was earlier reported that in February 2015, Russian Lukoil and the contracting consortium led by Hyundai Engineering (South Korea) signed a contract for the supply of equipment and construction of the Kandym gas processing plant in Uzbekistan, the total cost of which amounts to $2,662 billion.

The commissioning of the first phase of the gas processing plant is scheduled for July 2018.

At present, Lukoil works over implementation of three projects in Uzbekistan - Kandym - Khauzak - Shady - Kungrad, development of Southwestern Gissar, as well as conducts exploration of the Uzbek part of Aral Sea as part of an international consortium. Investment in the project will exceed $1.2 billion, the level of gas production - 4.2 billion cubic meters per year.

By 2016, Lukoil plans to produce in Uzbekistan at least 18 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

Cihan

May 14, 2015 

The annual production of hydrocarbons in Uzbekistan will increase by 1.9 percent in 2019, compared to 2014, while the natural gas production will increase by 2 percent, according to the materials of Uzbekneftegaz national holding company.

The materials were made public during Uzbekistan International Oil & Gas Exhibition 2015 that opened in Tashkent May 12.

The data about the hydrocarbon production volume in Uzbekistan hasn't been published in the past two years.

Uzbekistan reduced the oil production by 7.1 percent and brought it to 2.9 million metric tons in 2013, while the gas production was lowered by 2.6 and stood at 55.2 billion cubic meters, according to British company BP.

A program for development of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry for 2015-2019 has been worked out and submitted to the country's leadership, according to Uzbekneftegaz.

The implementation of the program will ensure 468.7 million metric tons of increase in oil equivalent, including 365 billion cubic meters of increase in natural gas reserve, according to the materials of Uzbekneftegaz.

The capacity of Uzbekneftegaz currently allows producing around 70 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 8 million metric tons of liquid hydrocarbons per year.

Recoverable proven hydrocarbon reserve of Uzbekistan exceeded 2.5 billion metric tons of oil equivalent as of early 2015 and around 65 percent of this volume accounted for gas reserve.

Azernews

May 13, 2015 

Summarizing the results of small-scale business in Uzbekistan's GDP over the first quarter of 2015, Uzbekistan's Economy Ministry and the State Statistics Committee announced an increase on the GDP share small business now occupy - 41.7 percent compared to 41 percent for the same period in 2014.

In the first quarter 2015, Uzbekistan saw the creation of over 8,000 new small businesses - this is an increase of over 10.2 percent compared to the same period in 2014, read a statement of Uzbekistan Economy Ministry and the State Statistics Committee.

The largest number of small businesses created in the industry sector and other manufacturing industries: 37.7 percent of the total - construction: 11.5 percent and trade and catering: 29.3 percent.

In the framework of the program of state property privatization for 2015-2016, 55 state-owned assets were transferred to private owners for a total of 28.3 billion soums, since the beginning of the year, including 13 objects at zero redemption value, with the adoption by investors of obligations to make investments to the amount of 9, 7 billion soums.

In addition, as a result of measures implemented to optimize the country's unused area, 80 unused redundant industrial premises and facilities have been earmarked for privatization.

In order to support business activity in the first quarter of this year, an estimated 2.8 trillion soums in loans were allocated to small business entities, including more than 590 billion soums in micro credits, with an increase by 1.3 times compared to the same period in 2014. International institutions provided small businesses loans to the amount of $38.3 million.

The state financed 14 projects worth over 10 billion soums with the support of the Association of Banks of Uzbekistan, through its investment projects.

Due to the measures implemented to improve access of private enterprises in trade and commodity, markets have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of small businesses in the country. The supply of goods and services for public procurement has increased 4 times over in comparison to the same period in 2014. The total number of which amounted to 34,200 business entities, or 98.3% of all public procurement participants.

As a result, small businesses have seen their share in public procurement amount to 77.9 billion soums since the beginning of the year (99.6 percent of the total public procurement carried out by means of electronic trading).

AUCC

May 15, 2015