Drivers queuing at a methane gas station in Bakht town of Syrdarya province today blocked the Tashkent-Gulistan section of the M-34 highway fo several hours after the station was closed by the Uztransgaz operators.
The Syrdarya Province Police Department made a statement on the incident: “There have been many complaints about the shortage of natural gas and electricity for several days in households. In addition, gas shortages had been also observed at methane gas filling stations.”
On November 27, several people took wooden seats and temporarily blocked the Tashkent to Gulistan section of M-34 highway causing several hours of highway jam in protest against the shortage of methane gas at the methane gas station along the M-34 highway.
The protesters were dispersed and the highway was immediately re-opened after the Syrdarya police department's intervention, the police department added.
Many drivers convert their vehciles to run on methane due to its relative cheapness. Despite abundant reserves of natural gas, Uzbekistan is struggling with supplies to domestic consumers, forcing many to improvise heating and cooking facilities to get them through the winter.
Experts blame the chronic shortages on a number of factors, some of them to do with infrastructure.
The mains supply network is crumbling due to underfunding, leading to numerous leaks, and there are not enough storage facilities to ensure a steady supply over winter, when demand shoots up.
"The country has sufficient natural gas, but the problem is that the equipment is old; the gas distribution system doesn't use modern technology," an analyst in Tashkent said, adding that installing new pump technology was vital, as the flow of gas through the pipes slowed when the weather was cold.
Funding problems are aggravated by retail customers failing to pay their gas bills.
But the root of the problem, experts say, is that the authorities are less interested in ensuring a steady supply to the domestic market than in meeting commitments for the lucrative export market.
