"Virtually all oil installations have to be reconstructed. The vast majority of them are lying idle and require new equipment," First Deputy Fuel and Energy Minister Vladimir Kostyunin told Itar-Tass.
He said signs of destruction in the oil sector had been evident since Chechnya declared independence in 1991.
A lack of investment, an exodus of Russian specialists and neglect led to steep declines in output in the once-important refining and transport center. Tass said that crude oil output fell to 1.2 million tons in the first 11 months of this year from 4.5 million tons in 1991.
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