ALMATY, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The inauguration ceremony for the expansion and upgrade project of the Caspian Asphalt Plant was held on Monday in Aktau, western Kazakhstan.

Constructed by China CITIC Construction Co., Ltd., the upgraded plant has increased its annual crude oil processing capacity from 1 million tons to 1.5 million tons, with asphalt production rising from 500,000 tons to 750,000 tons per year.

This expansion will effectively ease Kazakhstan's shortage of road asphalt for infrastructure development, marking another achievement in China-Kazakhstan cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Askhat Khassenov, CEO of KazMunayGas, Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company, praised the Chinese team's construction quality and efficiency as "admirable" during the renovation process, highlighting their professional project management capabilities and commitment to fulfilling contracts.

Liu Hongliang, the project manager from CITIC Construction, said the project team would continue to deepen its engagement in the Kazakhstan market, promote the implementation of projects key to the economy and local livelihoods, and contribute to the joint construction of the Belt and Road.

The Caspian Asphalt Plant is the first large-scale petrochemical project built in Kazakhstan after its independence, and the only refinery in Central Asia specializing in high-standard road asphalt production.

Commissioned in 2013, the plant was jointly invested in by China CITIC Group and KazMunayGas, with CITIC Construction as the contractor.

Driven by Kazakhstan's growing road construction demand, the expansion and upgrade project officially commenced in May last year, with CITIC Construction undertaking the capacity expansion and facilities upgrade on the original site.■