Afghanistan plans to commission 25 new oil wells in the Amu Darya basin, which will increase daily oil production in the area to 3,000 tons, reports TOLOnews.
According to the country’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, 24 wells are currently in operation, producing 1,300 tons of oil per day.
Local experts recommend that authorities develop a clear and balanced plan for drilling new wells and attract investors for processing the extracted oil.
“Afghanistan is potentially rich in natural resources, but unfortunately, we lack modern equipment to process these resources,” said economic expert Abdul Zahur Madaber. He emphasized the need to collaborate with other countries to import processing equipment.
“Extraction and processing of natural resources could create jobs and have a positive impact on reducing inflation in Afghanistan,” noted independent economist Mohammad Asif Stanekzai.
It is also reported that an oil refinery was built in the Dangara Free Economic Zone in Khatlon Province, Tajikistan. The plant, with a design capacity of 1.2 million tons of oil per year, was constructed by the Tajik-Chinese joint venture TK-Oil, founded by the Chinese company Dong Ying Heli Investment and Development. Although it was commissioned in 2018, the refinery has remained idle due to a lack of raw material supplies under favorable conditions.
There have been periodic reports of plans to supply oil to the plant from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Tatarstan, but the issue remains unresolved. Tajikistan itself has limited proven oil reserves.
According to statistics, oil production in Tajikistan in 2023 amounted to just 18,000 tons, covering only about 1.5% of the total demand for the Dangara refinery.
Last year, small operational refineries in Tajikistan produced around 4,200 tons of gasoline, 2,000 tons of diesel fuel, 3,900 tons of fuel oil, and 3,200 tons of bitumen.
Meanwhile, according to the Antimonopoly Service under the government, Tajikistan imported over 1 million tons of petroleum products and 411,000 tons of liquefied gas in 2023. Russia remained the primary supplier of petroleum products, while Kazakhstan was the main supplier of liquefied gas.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
October 23, 2024