ТАSHKENT, November 3. /Dunyo IA/. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Bukhara Oil Refinery in Karaulbazar district and was briefed on a project to modernize the facility, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the press service of the Head of our State, refinery is one of Uzbekistan’s largest producers of petroleum products and employs more than 3,200 specialists. In the first nine months of this year, it produced 1.36 million tons of petroleum products valued at 12.1 trillion UZS. Exports of products and services totalled $99.5 million, with plans to increase this figure to $116 million by the end of the year.

Modernization project presented to the President aims to increase crude oil processing volumes and expand the refinery’s capacity to produce high-octane gasoline. The project’s total cost is $328 million.

As part of the project, equipment for naphtha hydrotreating and isomerization is planned to be installed. Hydrotreating reduces the sulphur content and other impurities in the feedstock, while isomerization raises the octane rating of gasoline produced from light oil fractions. These processes are essential for increasing output of AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline that meets the Euro-5 environmental standard.

Project also includes improvements to feedstock fractionation and the deep processing of heavy residues. As a result, the refinery’s annual processing capacity will increase by another 2.5 million tons, reaching 5 million tons. The rise in processing volumes and finished-product output will help strengthen domestic supply and expand exports.

President instructed officials to ensure that the modernization work is carried out within the established timeframe and in line with high-quality standards, that the newly introduced equipment is effectively integrated into existing production processes, and that the plant continues to operate steadily. He also spoke with representatives of foreign companies participating in the project.