The issue of guaranteed gas supply of 5 billion cubic meters per year has been resolved in Uzbekistan, and sufficient gas reserves are accumulated in underground storage, announced Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov during President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to the Uzbekneftegaz Joint-Stock Company.
Mirzamakhmudov reported on the work done, the volume of created reserves, the expected daily demand, and the sources of its satisfaction.
Starting from December 1, 2023, Uzbekistan's energy system will switch to round-the-clock operation. In the coming months, the commissioning of 8 solar and wind power plants with a capacity of 1700 MW is planned, as well as a gas turbine with a capacity of 500 MW in Syrdarya. Coal extraction of 900 thousand tons will begin at the Shargun deposit in the Surkhandarya region, Gazeta.uz reports.
The Energy Minister also noted that sufficient reserves of liquefied gas, mazut, transformers, cables, and other necessary spare parts have been created.
Since October 7, 2023, Uzbekistan has started importing gas from Russia through the territory of Kazakhstan via the "Central Asia - Center" gas pipeline, which has been reversed. The two-year contract between UzGasTrade and Gazprom Export provides for the supply of 9 million cubic meters of gas per day, or almost 2.8 billion cubic meters per year.
In August, Uzbekistan signed a contract with Turkmenistan for the supply of Turkmen gas in the amount of up to 2 billion cubic meters per year.
The Uzbekistan authorities have taken unprecedented measures to ensure the country's energy resources, reducing the export of gas and oil while increasing the import of gas, oil, and electricity from other countries. These measures were taken after a catastrophic shortage of gas and electricity during the autumn-winter period of 2022-2023, causing significant suffering to the country's population. The government of Uzbekistan completely overhauled the operations of all state bodies and companies responsible for the country's energy supply. Several top officials in the energy sector were dismissed, and some were held accountable.
November 23, 2023