New Chinese oil refining project in Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia Energy Company, affiliated with Shaanxi Coal Group, announced the construction of a modern oil refining enterprise in Kyrgyzstan.

It stated that the project was the country’s largest oil refinery, making positive contributions to domestic economic development and increasing employment opportunities.

Months ago, Kyrgyzstan announced that it was considering the possibility of building the first nuclear plant in cooperation with Russia, in response to repeated energy shortages, which would help Moscow strengthen its influence in the region.

The Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan said in a statement that it had signed with Rusatom Energy Project, a subsidiary of Russian energy giant Rosatom, a “cooperation document”. The statement noted that the document concerned “the preparation of a feasibility study for the construction of a nuclear power plant in small units in Kyrgyzstan”.

Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, has maintained its economic and military proximity to Russia, which imports more than one third of the country’s mountain exports. Moscow is trying to maintain its influence in Central Asia in the face of increased influence by China, Turkey and Western countries exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which has raised concerns among the region’s nations.