The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan commented on the negotiations between Uzbekistan and Russia's Gazprom about gas supply. The comment was made in connection with accusations against the authorities of Uzbekistan through social networks of a possible transfer of the country's gas transportation system to the control of a Russian company, calling it a loss of sovereignty, Podrobno.uz said.
This week, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Uzbek Energy Minister Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov signed a roadmap for cooperation in the gas industry.
The Ministry of Energy noted that the document discusses the technical measures necessary for the transit of Russian gas through the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline passing through the territory of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
“After the working group technically completes all the work, the main conditions for the supply of natural gas will be discussed. It should be noted that the negotiations and the road map are aimed at supplying natural gas to the domestic market in the required volumes while fully maintaining ownership of the existing gas transmission system Uzbekistan. In this case, there is no threat to either the gas transportation system or our sovereignty," the ministry stressed.
In addition, the Uzbek ministry added that all work in this direction will be carried out with the full protection of the national interests of Uzbekistan, and its results will be constantly brought to the attention of the public.
The authorities of Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are discussing the possibility of increasing Russian gas supplies to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, taking into account the growth in domestic consumption and export obligations to China. This may require the modernization of the gas transmission infrastructure for gas delivery and even the construction of new gas pipelines. Including on the territory of Russia, it will be necessary to invest about 260 billion rubles in the development of gas transportation infrastructure.
This winter, Uzbekistan faced a large-scale energy crisis during extreme cold weather. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a recent meeting sharply criticized officials for negligence in preparing for the autumn-winter period. According to the authorities, in winter peak loads there is a shortage of gas in the republic up to 20 million cubic meters per day.
In this regard, it was decided to intensify the import of gas, electricity, coal and fuel oil due to the shortage of energy resources against the backdrop of the cold weather that has come in the country. Thus, the country began importing 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Turkmenistan in winter to meet domestic demand. However, on January 12-21, Turkmenistan suspended gas supplies for technical reasons. Supplies have now been restored.
Uzbekistan is capable of producing about 70 billion cubic meters of gas per year, but due to the depletion of reserves, technological losses and the lack of an effective control system, hydrocarbon supplies have decreased significantly in recent years. In 2022, gas production in the republic decreased by 4% compared to 2021 to 51.7 billion cubic meters. According to Uzbek officials, in 2023 the republic can produce 56.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
CentrasianLIGHT.org
January 25, 2023