Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Bukhara oil refinery plans to invest US$328 million in modernising production and launching Euro-5 AI-92 and AI-95 petrol, with output scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2029, the presidential press service said.
The project involves upgrading existing technological processes and building new production lines. Once completed, the refinery will be able to produce 1.1 million tonnes of Euro-5 motor petrol annually.
Savings on imported fuel additives are expected to reach US$150 million a year. The project is also expected to create 200 jobs.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the refinery's operations and expansion plans on 12 November.
The plant began operating in 1997 and has a designed annual capacity to process 2.5 million tonnes of oil and gas condensate. It produces motor petrol, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene and other petroleum products. More than 3,200 people work at the refinery.
In the first nine months of 2026, the plant processed more than 1.5 million tonnes of feedstock and produced nearly 1.5 million tonnes of petroleum products.
Its net profit for the period reached 2.2 trillion soums.
By the end of the year, the refinery plans to increase feedstock processing to 2.17 million tonnes and petroleum product output to 2.12 million tonnes.
The presentation also covered a further refinery expansion project with a preliminary estimated cost of US$1.8 billion. It involves introducing modern oil refining and petrochemical technologies and building new processing units.
The project aims to increase annual petroleum product output from the current 2.1 million tonnes to 4.6 million tonnes. Motor petrol production is planned to reach 2.7 million tonnes a year, while diesel output is expected to total 1.24 million tonnes and aviation kerosene production 500,000 tonnes.
The project also envisages producing benzene and other petrochemical products, as well as higher-value goods through deeper processing of feedstock.
The refinery plans to work with technology companies from China, France, the United States and Azerbaijan to implement the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028.
During the presentation, Mirziyoyev was briefed on the projects' economic efficiency, the introduction of modern technologies and plans to expand the production of high-quality petroleum products.
