This week, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed a resolution to approve mechanism on implementation of the project on construction of the third line of the Uzbekistan-China gas pipeline.

In line with the approved schedule of the project, construction of the first part of the third line of Uzbekistan-China gas pipeline with extension of 318 km (from Gazli to border of Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan) will be completed in March 2014.

In April 2014, it is planned to complete construction of compressor station and commissioned for use.

Construction of the second part of the third line of the gas pipeline with the extension of 212 km (from border area of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to Gazli), compressor station and related infrastructure will be completed in January 2015.

In line with the resolution, income of foreign banks and financial institutions, received from allocating loan and income from foreign companies, received from execution of services and works, within the project are exempted from payment of income tax for the term, equal to repayment of attracted loans.

Services of Asia Trans Gas, project operator, are exempted from payment of VAT at transportation of the Uzbek gas at the period of repayment of foreign loans.

The Uzbek-Chinese venture, Asia Trans Gas, started construction of the third line of the Central Asia – China gas pipeline in December 2011. The capacity of the pipeline will reach 25 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Total length of the line is 1,840 km.

The project with the cost of US$2.2 billion will be financed due to loans of the China Development Bank and foreign direct investments of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

Construction of Central Asia – China gas pipeline was started in July 2008 and completed in December 2009. The length of the line is about 7,000 km.