Page 19 - FSUOGM Week 32

FSUOGM PERFORMANCE FSUOGM

in Uzbekistan. First-half extraction even rose 1.3% to 8.97 bcm.
Lukoil’s international gas output plunged Lukoil’s refining throughput was 13.53mn
almost 47% y/y in the second quarter to 2.09 tonnes (1.09mn bpd) in the second quarter,
bcm, owing to much weaker Uzbek sales, while down 19.6%, and 30.62mn tonnes in the first
its first-half output overseas slumped 31% to 5.84 half, down 8.6%. The company attributed these
bcm. declines to scheduled maintenance work and
The company's domestic gas business per- lower demand for petroleum products and
formed much better, with production down weaker margins as a result of the COVID-19
only 3% y/y in the second quarter at 4.31 bcm. pandemic. ™

Turkmenistan moves ahead

with new refining projects

TURKMENISTAN TURKMENISTAN is moving ahead with the prefeasibility study for the project last year. The
construction of new units at its refineries in timeframe for the addition of these units was
Turkmenistan's refining Turkmenbashi and Seydi, local state media not disclosed.
throughput capacity reported on August 2. Turkmen authorities set out ambitious plans
has not changed in five US-registered contractor Westport Trading more than a decade ago to expand national
years. Europe is building a 900,000 tonne per year refining capacity to 22mn tpy (440,000 barrels
delayed coking unit (DCU) and a 500,000 tpy per day) by 2025 and up to 30mn tpy (600,000
solvent de-asphalting unit at the Turkmenbashi bpd). But there is little evidence of much pro-
plant, according to state media reports. Con- gress being made towards these goals.
struction work began in late 2019 and is slated In its Statistical Review of World Energy, BP
for completion in 2022. estimated the country’s throughput capacity at
Westport is working under €120mn only 271,000 bpd at the end of 2019, unchanged
($141mn) engineering, procurement and con- in five years. And only 122,000 bpd of this capac-
struction (EPC) contract. ity was used last year. According to Turkmen
The plants’ state-run owner, Turkmenbashi data, refinery runs in the first half of 2020 came
Complex of Oil Refineries (TCOR), has also to 2.946mn tonnes (100,600 bpd).
enlisted Westport to undertake a scoping and A number of high-ranking officials at TCOR
technology study for the integration of a needle have been sacked in recent years for failing in
coke production unit (NCPU) at the Turkmen- their duties, as has been the case in other areas of
bashi DCU. the Turkmen state-managed economy.
In addition, the Turkmen government has Westport is one of the leading contractors in
announced awarding a turnkey EPC contract Turkmenistan’s refining industry, having been
for a new 1mn tpy atmospheric crude distil- tasked with a number of major construction
lation unit and accompanying crude vac- projects since it was set up in 1998. Outside the
uum electric desalination unit at the Seydi Central Asian state it has also worked at several
refinery. This comes after WTL completed a Russian refineries. ™

Week 32 12•August•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P19