Uzbekistan has requested the company Gazprom to increase the supply of Russian gas amid severe cold weather in Central Asia, announced Alexey Miller, the Chairman of Gazprom's Management Board, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Interfax reports.
Currently, the volume of gas supplies to Uzbekistan is twice the amount specified in the contract and corresponds to the maximum capacity of the Central Asia-Center (CAC) gas pipeline in this direction, explained Miller.
"During the winter period, we work very constructively, in a neighborly manner with our partners. In December, cold weather hit Uzbekistan, and our Uzbek friends and colleagues asked to increase gas supplies to Uzbekistan by an amount that exceeds twice our daily obligations under the signed contract. At present, in December, we are supplying to Uzbekistan the maximum technically possible volume of gas that can be delivered through the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline," he stated.
In October 2023, the supply of Russian gas to Uzbekistan commenced through the reversed gas transportation system of the Central Asia-Center pipeline. The two-year agreement between Uzbekistan's UzGazTrade and Russia's Gazprom Export envisages an export volume of 9 million cubic meters per day, or nearly 2.8 billion cubic meters annually.
Miller reminded that the pipeline was commissioned by the order of the presidents of three countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. "You inaugurated this gas pipeline on October 7, and, of course, for Uzbekistan, the opportunity to receive gas supplies through the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline in reverse mode is a crucial factor for successfully passing the heating season," he added.
The head of Gazprom also noted that on December 23, a new historical record was set for daily deliveries of Russian gas to China through the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. In 2023, gas supplies to China are expected to grow one and a half times compared to the 2022 level, reaching the maximum contract level of 38 billion cubic meters by 2025.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 28, 2023