Uzbekistan, U.S. company Air Products agree to accelerate construction of gas chemical complex in Bukhara

TASHKENT. Sept 23 (Interfax) - Uzbekistan and one of the world's leading industrial gas production companies, Air Products (United States), plan to accelerate the implementation of a project to build a gas chemical complex (GCC) in Bukhara.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with Air Products Chief Executive Officer Eduardo Menezes as part of the business program of his working visit to New York, the president's press service said on Tuesday.

"The parties agreed to accelerate the implementation of new projects, including the construction of a gas chemical complex in Bukhara, the development of coal gasification technologies, and the production of environmentally friendly aviation fuel," the press service said.

The meeting considered practical aspects of further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation. Air Products' total investment in the Uzbek economy exceeds $1 billion, the press service said. Among the implemented projects are an industrial gas processing unit at the GTL plant, hydrogen production at the Fergana Oil Refinery, the production of liquid carbon dioxide at the Navoiazot enterprise and the creation of a shock freezing center.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to adopt a roadmap for advancing joint projects.

Air Products specializes in producing and supplying industrial gases. Its market capitalization exceeds $63 billion. According to the company, it annually produces around 200 million tonnes of industrial gases in more than 50 countries and manages a network of around 750 production facilities.

Uzbekistan signed an agreement with Air Products on the industrial processing of gases as part of the GCC project in May 2023.

As reported, the project to build a gas chemical complex in the Bukhara region using methanol-to-olefins technology is being implemented with the participation of companies such as John Wood Group Plc (UK), the U.S. companies Air Products, Koch Industries Inc. and Chemtex Global Corp., Topsoe (Denmark), Versalis (Italy) and Sinopec (China).

The complex, which will become the largest producer of polymer products in Central Asia, will have a capacity of over 1.11 million tonnes of products per year. The cost of the project was estimated at $5 billion.