Central Asian refining suffers under competing powers

Mongolia hopes to launch its first refinery within two years as it seeks to free itself from Russian dependence, while a similar plant in Tajikistan remains inactive six years after its completion

Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia all grapple with a lack of fuel supply security. They depend heavily on petroleum product imports from Russia, which Moscow has demonstrated in the past it is willing to exploit as a political lever. The three Central Asian countries have sought to address this vulnerability for many years, yet they still cannot produce nearly enough gasoline, diesel and other fuels to meet their needs. New refining projects have faced lengthy delays, while those plants that have been built struggle to secure oil supply and compete with imported fuels. In Tajikistan, a large refinery completed with Chinese support more than six years ago has yet to yield a single barrel of