The events at the state gas company Turkmengaz and its aftermath were reported by the Amsterdam-based publication Turkmen.news. According to the publication, in connection with the accident at the largest gas field "Galkynysh", at least six officials were arrested due to the fact that gas supplies to Uzbekistan were suspended during severe cold weather.
According to the results of an audit conducted by the General Prosecutor's Office of Turkmenistan, the preliminary damage from interruptions in supplies is estimated at $59.7 million. This amount does not include fines for non-fulfillment of the contract for the supply of gas volumes stipulated in it to China, Turkmen.news reports.
The technical malfunction that led to the six-day shutdown in January was undeniably caused by abnormally cold weather, but such excuses sound unconvincing to the Turkmen leadership, the newspaper writes.
According to the outlet, Turkmenistan unexpectedly showed "good will" by sending an unspecified amount of liquefied natural gas to Uzbekistan as "friendly and fraternal help," as Neutral Turkmenistan put it in its February 4 issue. If you read between the lines, it was clearly a handout designed to appease Tashkent and convince him not to make a fuss about this.
Uzbekistan also suffered greatly this winter from abnormal cold weather. A significant part of the country's inhabitants were left without gas and electricity, including the city of Tashkent. After dismantling and identifying those responsible for poor preparations for the winter heating season, several high-ranking leaders of the energy sector were fired, some were arrested. Jahongir Artykhodzhaev was removed from the post of mayor of Tashkent.
Source: Gundogar.org
CentralasiabLIGHT.org
February 10, 2023