Bukhara Oil Refinery to Produce AI-91 and AI-92 Gasoline by December
The Bukhara Oil Refinery in Uzbekistan is set to completely phase out the production of AI-80 gasoline starting from the beginning of 2025. This decision was announced by Odil Temirov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Uzbekneftegaz for Refining, during the Energy Week in Tashkent on May 14.
The move comes after the President of Uzbekistan instructed Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov to address the issue of discontinuing the production of AI-80 gasoline by 2025. As part of the modernization of the Bukhara Oil Refinery, the refinery plans to focus on producing higher-octane grades of gasoline, specifically AI-92 and AI-95, in volumes of 60% and 40%, respectively. Additionally, all gasoline produced, totaling over 1 million tons per year, will meet the Euro-5 environmental standards, allowing for the discontinuation of AI-80 gasoline of the Euro-2 class.
Odil Temirov also mentioned that the Bukhara Oil Refinery is working with the French company Axens on a license agreement to utilize their technologies. Parallel to this, the refinery is collaborating with a division of the Chinese CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) for preparatory work on the modernization project.
Currently, 85% of the Bukhara Oil Refinery’s production is AI-80 gasoline, with the remaining 15% being AI-92 gasoline. However, this proportion is expected to shift starting in November. The modernization project, which began in 2019 and is valued at $553 million, aims to increase the refinery’s processing capacity and focus on producing higher-quality gasoline and other products in line with international standards.
The project, developed in partnership with South Korean company SK Engineering, aims to reach a design capacity for processing 2.5 million tons of oil and gas condensate by the end of 2025. It will also aim to produce 1.2 million tons of Euro-5 gasoline, 200 thousand tons of jet fuel, 750 thousand tons of diesel fuel, and 30 thousand tons of fuel oil annually. The project is expected to be financed with Chinese investments following the president’s instructions after his visit to China.
