Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov and Chairman of the Board of Gazprom PJSC Alexey Miller signed a roadmap for cooperation in the gas industry. Their working meeting took place immediately after the head of the government of Uzbekistan, Abdulla Aripov, instructed the country's Energy Ministry to negotiate with alternative foreign partners for the supply of natural gas, electricity, coal and fuel oil.
Currently, the authorities of Uzbekistan, Russia and Kazakhstan are discussing the possibility of increasing Russian gas supplies to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, 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.
“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," Interfax reported.
According to preliminary calculations, in 2023 Uzbekistan has the opportunity to produce 56.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas, or 4.6 billion more than last year (51.7 billion cubic meters).
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 25, 2023