Saneg starts development of oil shale deposit in Surkhandarya region

At the moment, the company is conducting geological exploration works at the Boysun field, whose reserves are estimated at 55 million tons of oil shale in C1 category.

Azizbek Nazarov, Saneg's deputy general director for development of strategic projects, shared more details about the progress of the project with the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.

Nazarov emphasized that the project is designed not only to provide additional energy resources for the country, but also to contribute to the overall economic development of the region. He noted that a comprehensive additional study of the geological structure of the deposit, the occurrence depth and the field of distribution of oil shale is currently underway, which will allow to increase reserves to 400 million tons.

Topographic surveys, electrical prospecting, as well as drilling of exploration wells worth over 10 million USD are planned over the next few years within the framework of this project.

The company plans to optimize mining processes and provide comprehensive processing of shale ore to facilitate the production of high-quality synthetic oil, gas and power generation.

By the end of 2024, it is planned to launch four units using circulating fluidized bed technology (CFB-1500). The capacity of each unit to process 1.5 million tons of shale ore per year will provide 150 megawatts of electricity generation per year, as well as the production of about 800 thousand tons of synthetic oil and 300 million cubic meters of shale gas per year.

Besides, Saneg plans to increase the number of CFB-1500 units to 25 units within five years, expanding shale ore processing capacity to 37.5 million tons of feedstock per year.

"This ambitious move highlights the company's strategic focus on maximizing efficiency in mining and processing, Nazarov said. - The large reserves of oil shale in Uzbekistan open up new opportunities for the introduction of modern technologies in geological exploration, extraction and processing of this mineral. Thus, the project in Surkhandarya region represents not only a new strategic approach to ensuring diversification of the country's fuel resources, but also a foundation for sustainable development in the future."