Uzbekistan may completely abandon gas exports by 2025-2026, said the chairman of Uztransgaz, Bekhzot Narmatov on Monday.
“Perhaps in the near future, all gas produced in Uzbekistan will remain in Uzbekistan, because petrochemical plants are expanding, it is necessary to support the domestic economy. Yes, there are exports, but we still do not have the same economic growth. We need to create jobs, but export in its pure form – well, how profitable is this for the economy, when it can be processed and create additional value chains?” - he said.
According to him, the cessation of exports may occur by 2025-2026.
Currently, about 10% of the gas produced in Uzbekistan is being exported to China. Behzot Narmatov noted that the percentage fluctuates from month to month, depending on the internal needs of Uzbekistan, since they are in priority. As a rule, the volume of exported gas decreases in winter and increases in summer.
“There are companies that are operating in Uzbekistan, towards which we have certain obligations. That is, in order to support the economy of projects - Chinese companies, Russian companies - we ensure the export of their gas. That is, we could direct all this to the domestic market, but we adhere to the agreements that we have,” he said.
