Russia's Lukoil started output from a major gas field in Uzbekistan Thursday.
The field near Bukhara, operated by Lukoil with Uzbek's State-run oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz, produces over 3 million cubic metres of gas per day. It is expected to reach maximum capacity of more than 11 million cubic metres a day in five years – which is about a fifth of Uzbekistan's output. It is Lukoil’s first production facility outside Russia and the company's investing over $US 3 billion in the project. Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov says such projects ensure uninterrupted natural gas supplies to Europe. “Russia never violated its contracts with Europe on gas supplies, and I’m sure it will never happen. Our new deposits including this one give me this confidence. It is just another guarantee that we have enough reserves for export as well as domestic consumption,” he stressed.