Initially, in the course of the 2004-2007 period, the JV built the DKS-1 booster compressor stations with a recycling capacity of 1.3 bcm of gas a year and the DKS-2 booster compressor stations capable of processing nearly 3 bcm of gas a year at 0.5 - 1.0 MPa pressure.

However, these stations were not able to process nearly 4.5 mcm a day of low pressure flare gas (0.1-0.5 MPa).

Therefore, the JV, together with Uzbekneftegas NHC, decided to built booster compressor stations directly at the field gathering stations in order to make it possible to recycle 0.1 MPa pressure associated gas by increasing pressure to 0.5 MPa value. To facilitate this, the gas needed to be sent to a general collector and to a header compressor station inlet unit in order to be boosted up to the required final pressure value.

To materialize these plans, the construction of booster compressor stations (DKS-3 Project) was started in 2008: two DKS operating booster compressor units and one standby unit, each of 16 MW capacity, were planned to be built at headwork and four 6 MW units were to be installed at the gathering stations.

On 15 April 2009, the first 16 MW capacity booster compressor unit with a daily 2.25 mcm processing capacity was put into operation at the header site. Commissioning of the second 16 MW unit, with an identical daily 2.25 mcm processing capacity, is anticipated later this month.

Work on the four 6 MW units at the gathering stations is scheduled to start in May.

On completion, total DKS-3 output capacity is anticipated to be:

• associated gas recycling capacity will be increased up to 4.5 mcm a day and 1.6 bcm a year;
• nearly 94 t of gas condensate will be recovered out of this daily volume and annual output value will come to nearly 34,000 tons;
• nearly 15 t/a day or 5,400 tons a year of liquefied petroleum gas is expected to be produced as the result of such processing.