Six Firms Provide Tech for Uzbek Gas-to-Chemicals
Technology licence agreements have been signed with six international companies for a methanol-to-olefins (MTO) complex in Uzbekistan, the project's operator Jizzakh Petroleum reported on February 8.
US firms Chemtex, Scientific Design and Grace will provide polyethylene terephthalate, monoethylene glycol and polypropylene technologies respectively, while China's Sinopec will supply technology for converting methanol into olefins and Denmark's Haldor Topsoe for producing methanol. As previously reported Versalis, owned by Italy's Eni, will license out low density polyethylene/ethyl vinyl acetate technology.
Jizzakh Petroleum, a joint venture between Russia's Gazprom and Uzbekistan's Uzbekneftegaz, also noted it had recruited US law firm White & Case as the project's legal advisor and the UK's Mott MacDonald as its environmental and social impact assessment consultant. Letters of intent have been signed with Italian financiers Sace and Bank Intesa Sanpaolo to fund front-end engineering design work, which will be carried out by a company called Woodon.
Negotiations have also taken place with the US' Marco Polo International and Turkey's KTM Kimyevi Maddeler for the offtake of polymer products.
The MTO plant in Uzbekistan's Bukhara region has a $2.8bn cost. It will use up to 1.5bn m3/year of gas as feedstock, but the schedule for its development is unclear.
Uzbekistan is looking to build out its petrochemicals sector to add value to its gas resources rather than exporting them to China and Russia. Another key project is a $3.6bn gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant, due online later this year.