It has been agreed to supply Russian gas to Uzbekistan starting from October

During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an agreement was signed for the supply of Russian gas to Uzbekistan, along with a “roadmap” outlining the preparation of the country’s gas transport system to receive the gas. This information was reported by the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan.

According to reports, a gas purchase contract was signed between the Joint Stock Company “UzGastrade” and the Limited Liability Company “Gazprom Export” for a duration of 2 years. The contract was signed by the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, J. Mirzamahmudov, and A. Miller, Chairman of Gazprom OJSC.

The contract was developed based on commercial terms. As part of the agreement, it is planned to start importing 9 million cubic meters of natural gas per day from October 1st of this year. The annual volume is estimated to be around 2 billion 800 million cubic meters.

The “roadmap” includes the reversal of natural gas flow from Russia to Uzbekistan, which was initially transported through the “Central Asia-Center” main gas pipeline from Kazakhstan. Additionally, a new gas measuring station will be constructed in Uzbekistan. The implementation of these activities is scheduled to be completed by September of this year.

Under the “roadmap,” three gas pumping equipment in Uzbekistan’s gas transport system will be replaced with new ones, and 11 different types of gas pumping equipment will undergo thorough repair and restoration. Furthermore, 22 kilometers of new main gas pipelines will be built, and 56 kilometers of existing gas pipelines will be repaired.

In addition, an agreement was signed between KazakhGaz and Gazprom for the transportation of Russian natural gas to consumers in Uzbekistan. Representatives from Kazakhstan also discussed close cooperation with Russia in the areas of gas supply, processing, and transportation. Moreover, during the forum, the Energy Ministers of Kazakhstan and Russia extended the intergovernmental agreements on the transit of 10 million tons of Russian oil per year until the end of 2033.

Furthermore, discussions were held with “Inter RAO” OJSC regarding the possibilities of cooperation in electricity supply and the modernization of coal-fired power plants.

It is worth mentioning that it was previously announced that “Gazprom” would commence gas supplies to Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan in the fourth quarter of 2023. On January 24 of this year, a working meeting took place between the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Jorabek Mirzamahmudov, and the CEO of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, resulting in the signing of a “roadmap” between the parties. On February 9, Alexey Miller, along with the Energy Ministers of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Jorabek Mirzamahmudov and Bolat Akchulakov, held talks where they discussed the initial technical assessments of the tripartite working group responsible for organizing the supply of Russian gas to Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan. Analysts have noted that acquiring 6 billion cubic meters of gas will allow Uzbekistan to meet its needs, but it will not be sufficient to fully fulfill the gas export contract with China.