Uzbekistan exported 4 billion cubic meters of gas for $841 million in 10 months of 2022. This is almost a tenth of the total gas production in the country. Almost the entire volume of gas is sent to China, but the statistics of the two countries do not match, Gazeta.uz reports.
This volume of gas is 18% less than in the same period last year. In 2021, the volume of export deliveries amounted to 4.94 billion cubic meters of gas for $621 million, the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan said in a statement.
Despite the decline in exports, in value terms it increased by 35.4%. In particular, last year Uzbekistan sold 1 cubic meter of gas at an average price of 13 cents, while this year it was 21 cents (+61.5%). For comparison: the price of gas for the population, which has not changed since August 2019, is 380 soums (3.5 cents), for companies - 660 soums (5.9 cents).
In October, exports almost halved, from 778 million to 393 million cubic meters. Almost all gas goes to China, but the statistics of the two countries do not match. In particular, if Uzbekistan exported gas in October for only $91 million, the Chinese side reports imports of Uzbek gas for $148.5 million.
Amid a blackout due to a shortage of gas at thermal power plants, Deputy Energy Minister Sherzod Khodjaev said on November 16 that Uzbekistan had almost completely suspended the export of gas and electricity to meet domestic needs. “As for the numbers, if according to the daily forecast indicators it was planned to export 10 million cubic meters of gas, then the current export does not reach even 1 million cubic meters,” the Deputy Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan said.
The State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan has not yet published data for November, but the Vice Mayor of Kyrgyzstan's Osh city, Sonunbek Zhunusbaev, told Kloop news portal on November 25 that there were no restrictions from Uzbekistan.
According to the official statistics of Kyrgyzstan, in January-September, Uzbekistan supplied 25.3 million cubic meters of gas worth $3.8 million, or $150 per thousand cubic meters of gas.
During 10 months of this year, Uzbekistan produced 43.77 billion cubic meters of gas, 452.7 million cubic meters less than in the same period in 2021 - 44.24 billion cubic meters. Thus, if last year the country exported 11% of the total volume of gas produced, then in 2022 it will be almost 9.3%.
In September, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reported that Uzbekistan does not export gas in order to develop Uzbekistan's domestic industry.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 5, 2022