From January to August, Uzbekistan imported gas worth $1.15 billion, according to the foreign trade report of the Statistics Agency under the President, reports Gazeta.uz.
This is 5.7 times more (in monetary terms) than in the first eight months of 2023, when the supply amounted to $201.8 million. It also exceeds the total volume of gas imports in 2023 ($694.9 million).
In January of this year, the import of "blue fuel" amounted to $35.6 million, in February it was 3.7 times higher, or $131.1 million, in March - $193.5 million, in April - $102.6 million, in May - $180.4 million, in June - $166.3 million, in July - $174.2 million, and in August - $168.3 million. The physical volumes of supplies were not disclosed by the Uzbekistan Statistics Agency.
Uzbekistan also increased its gas exports compared to last year. Supplies reached $404.8 million, which is 7.1% more than for the same period last year ($377.9 million). In January, this figure was $21 million, in February - $5.7 million, in March - $18.7 million, in April - $6.9 million, in May - $7.6 million, in June - $181.5 million, and in July - $81.7 million.
In August, exports also amounted to $81.7 million, which is 2.4 times higher than in August last year ($36 million). Uzbekistan primarily supplies gas to China, as well as to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
According to the General Customs Administration of China, the import of Uzbek gas since the beginning of the year amounted to $401.5 million, which is 4.8% more than the eight-month figure for 2023 ($383 million). In January, China imported gas from Uzbekistan worth $38.8 million, in February - $18.6 million, in April - $11.4 million, in May - $85 million, in June - $81.1 million, in July - $69.2 million. Physical volumes were also not disclosed.
In August, the import of Uzbek gas reached $97.37 million, which is 25% more than in August 2023 ($77.83 million). This is the highest monthly volume since October 2022, when gas worth $148.5 million was supplied.
The volume of gas production over eight months amounted to 29.9 billion cubic meters, which is 4.6%, or 1.46 billion cubic meters, less than for the same period last year.
Since October 2023, Uzbekistan has been importing gas from Russia through Kazakhstan in reverse mode. There were plans to invest $500 million to modernize the main gas system to increase gas imports from Russia. The project was called important for ensuring the country's energy security, providing additional gas volumes to cover seasonal consumption imbalances, and diversifying guaranteed sources of fuel supply.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
September 26, 2024