Gas Chemical Complex MTO Central Asia LLC (GCC MTO) has formally appointed Enter Engineering Pte Ltd as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for a methanol-to-olefin (MTO) producing facility in Bukhara region, Uzbekistan.

The US$3-billion contract includes design, equipment purchasing, facility construction, and the installation of critical infrastructure. The project is expected to be finished in late 2025.

With a capacity of 730,000 tons per year, the gas chemical complex MTO will grow to be the largest facility of its kind in Central Asia, meeting the local demand for raw materials for the manufacturing of high-value goods. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) (100,000 t/g), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (300,000 t/g), low-density polyethylene (80,000 t/g), and polypropylene (250 000 t/g) will also be produced at the facility. The last three will be produced for the first time in the republic.

Several significant actions have been made in the past year in preparation for the start of construction:

• The Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers approved a decree in July enabling the development of the Karakul Free Economic Zone, which will serve as the hub of a brand-new industrial cluster centered on the MTO complex.
• A contract for the facility's detailed design and a procurement strategy was signed with John Wood Plc's Italian branch the following month. John Wood Plc is an engineering firm with its headquarters in the UK.
• Residents had the chance to comment on the ideas during open forums held in September in the districts of Karakul, Zhondor, and Alat.