JAN. 21 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan increased its car production in 2013 by 4.8% to 251,342, media quoted the state’s statistical department as saying. The biggest increase was in truck production. Uzbekistan has boosted its car manufacturing base considerably over the past five years or so.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan cut gas supplies to Russia, potentially inflaming relations between the two neighbours. SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company, said it had suspended gas flowing along a pipeline to Russia because of construction work. Importantly it didn’t give an expected re-start date.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — China and Russia have agreed to lend $400m for the modernisation of the Ekibastuz power plant in Kazakhstan, media reported. The coal-fired power plant in the northern region of Pavlodar is one of the biggest in Kazakhstan, generating an estimated 12% of the country’s energy.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 15 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — The consortium developing the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) invited applications to take part in a tender to build compressor, pressure and metering stations. Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR and Turkey’s Botas and TPAO are developing TANAP which will pump gas from the Caspian Sea to the Turkish-Greek border.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — As part of its stated strategy to boost energy production, Kazakhstan intends to auction the right to explore eight or nine oil and gas fields this year, media reported quoting energy minister Uzakbay Karabalin. In 2013, Kazakhstan auctioned off three exploration blocks after a moratorium lasting a few years.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — From April 1, cars that don’t conform to the EU’s Euro-4 level of emissions will be banned from being imported into Azerbaijan, Sabig Abdullayev, director of the Azerbaijan Standardisation and Certification Institute said.
This is important because it will change the shape of Azerbaijan’s car market.
Euro-4 is part of a grading scheme the EU created to measure the amount of emissions from cars. The EU introduced Euro-4 grade in 2005. A few years later carmakers in other countries introduced a similar emissions grade.
There is now a Euro-5 grade and later this year Euro-6 will be introduced.
By jumping from the current minimum Euro-2 standard to Euro-4, Azerbaijan is playing catch up. But it is only catching up for cars being imported. Cars made in Azerbaijan can still be produced legally at a worse emissions standard.
And there is also the small issue of the quality of fuel. Refineries in Azerbaijan only currently produce fuel to meet Euro-2 grade. This is being changed to hit Euro-3 but is still off the Euro-4 benchmark.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — From April 1, cars that don’t meet the Euro-4 emissions standard will be barred from being imported into Azerbaijan, government officials said. The decision will change the car market in Azerbaijan.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Another Chinese company opened up a factory in Uzbekistan. Under a joint venture with Uzbek partners, Puyang Sanshun Commerce Co. ltd will produce mobile phones and tablets in the Navoi Economic Free Zone, media reported. The Navoi Free Economic Zone has attracted a clutch of companies from Korea and China.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 21 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan has completed the delivery of 24 attack helicopters from Russia, media reported. Rich from oil, Azerbaijan has splurged on its military, buying weapons and other equipment from Israel and Russia. Azerbaijan ordered the 24 Mi-35M helicopters from Russia in September 2010.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company, is considering buying a network of petrol stations in Turkey, media reported. Media said it was eyeing up the Petrol Ofisi filling stations, owned by Austria’s OMV, the largest network in Turkey. If the sale does materialise it will be one of SOCAR’s biggest overseas investments.
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(News report from Issue No. 167, published on Jan. 15 2014)