Kyrgyzstan's Chinese-Owned Junda Refinery Faces Pollution Complaints During a $194 Million Upgrade: Inspections Brought Two Fines and Orders to Correct Violations
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov told residents of Kara-Balta, about 60 kilometres west of Bishkek, on November 8 that his government would consider relocating residents if living near the Junda oil refinery was harming their health. A resident at the meeting asked him to close the Chinese-controlled plant or require better pollution controls, describing cases of allergies, hair loss and high blood pressure that residents associate with the refinery. Japarov defended keeping the plant open, saying Kyrgyzstan needed to develop its industries and produce more of its own fuel.
Junda is Kyrgyzstan's largest refinery, able to process 800,000 metric tons of crude oil a year. The upgraded plant is expected to produce K4- and K5-grade fuels, which have tighter sulfur limits, and the company says that at full capacity it could meet more than 35% of domestic demand for fuels and lubricants. The refinery began producing fuel in 2014, shut down in early 2020 and resumed operations in 2024; residents had complained repeatedly about odors and air pollution before the shutdown. The locally registered operator, China Petrol Company Junda, is 99% owned by China's Central Asia Energy Company, with Kara-Balta's DaDe Service Company holding the remaining 1%.
Estimates for the upgrade have risen from about $160 million in 2024 and $167 million in 2025 to $193.75 million, the figure now given by Kyrgyzstan's National Investment Agency. The project missed its July 31, 2026 completion deadline, and on August 25 the agency and the Chinese investor signed an agreement for the next phase. At an October 9 briefing, an environmental inspector said the work was expected to finish by April 2027, and that inspections prompted by residents' complaints had resulted in two fines and orders to correct violations. After visiting the refinery on November 11, the agency's head, Ravshanbek Sabirov, called on the investor to meet its commitments; the agency gave no date for the upgraded plant to enter service.
In a November 11 response, Junda said its modernization project was nearing completion and that it was installing a vapor recovery system which, the company says, will capture petroleum vapors during storage and transport and return them to production. It also plans to plant trees on about two hectares of refinery land in spring 2027. Air-quality readings for Kara-Balta published by Kyrgyzstan's environment ministry in September showed some spring nitrogen dioxide readings above the daily average limit, while sulfur dioxide remained within limits in spring and summer. The ministry did not trace the pollution to Junda, and the company's response cited no independent measurements of its emissions or medical studies of residents' symptoms.
(Source: The Times of Central Asia)
Source: The Times of Central Asia
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：科威特 Mina Al-Ahmadi 炼油厂夜景（资料图）。Grubb 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery in Kuwait at night (file photo). By Grubb, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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