Government to ban AI-80 gasoline and promote cleaner fuel by the end of 2025

 By the end of 2025, the use and sale of AI-80 automotive fuel will be restricted as part of efforts to provide the population with high-quality, environmentally friendly, and affordable fuel. This measure is outlined in the Presidential Decree of Uzbekistan dated January 30, 2024, titled “On the State Program for the Implementation of the ‘Uzbekistan-2030’ Strategy on Environmental Protection and the Green Economy.”

According to the decree, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has instructed authorities to phase out AI-80 fuel by the end of 2025 and mobilize all available resources to ensure the public has access to cleaner and more sustainable fuel options. The decree also includes a complete ban on fuel that does not meet the “Euro-4” environmental standard. Additionally, it mandates the cessation of fuel oil use as an energy source for heat and electricity generation across Uzbekistan by the end of 2024, except in cases of emergencies or accidents.

Furthermore, taking into account proposals from the general public, environmental activists, the Ecological Party, and the Ministry of Ecology, the decree will prohibit the development of new projects in the following industries in Tashkent, Nukus, and regional centers starting May 1, 2025:

- Asbestos and cement production, sludge and slag processing;
- Tanneries and poultry farms;
- The burning of any type of coal without high-efficiency dust and gas purification systems;
- Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, as well as the production of glass containing toxic impurities and chemicals;
- Waste processing and incineration plants classified as hazard levels I and II.

It should be noted that the initial draft of the 2025 state program had already included a provision to restrict the sale of AI-80 gasoline in Uzbekistan this year.