US Ambassador Jonathan Henick hosted an event today to highlight the significant achievements of a joint project between GasGreen Asia LLC, a subsidiary of Maryland-based Climate Compass, and Uzbekistan’s national gas distribution company, Hududgazta’minot JSC.

The project, which began in March 2023, focuses on detecting and repairing natural gas leaks within Uzbekistan’s above-ground national gas distribution system, contributing to Uzbekistan’s green economy transition and its commitments under the Global Methane Pledge.  High-level officials from the Uzbek government, representatives from Hududgazta’minot, GasGreen Asia and its local partner, EBRD, U.S. diplomats, and members of the local press attended the event.  A Korean carbon finance company, Ecoeye Co., Ltd., is the principal investor, making the project potentially eligible as an Article 6.2 project with Korea under the Paris Climate Agreement.

“The United States welcomes Uzbekistan’s commitment to a broad-based transition to a green economy.  This project supports Uzbekistan’s efforts to attract foreign direct investment while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ambassador Henick.

Since the project’s inception, over 50,000 individual methane leaks have been identified, measured, and repaired, resulting in a reduction of over seven million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year. The project has created more than 200 local jobs, including engineers, data specialists, and project managers, who received intensive training from American technical experts. The repairs have generated tens of millions of dollars in savings for Hududgazta’minot by preventing gas losses, while also contributing to significant environmental benefits.

The United States strongly supported Uzbekistan’s decision to join the Global Methane Pledge in 2022, an initiative aimed at reducing methane emissions worldwide. Methane reduction is a critical component of Uzbekistan’s efforts to meet its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.  According to the United Nations Environment Program, methane emissions have accounted for approximately 30 percent of global warming and are an increasingly growing challenge.

Climate Compass, LLC, based in Bethesda, MD, is a world leader in providing logistical and technical services for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction projects. With over two decades of experience, Climate Compass specializes in finding and repairing methane leaks in natural gas infrastructure through its advanced Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs. The company’s expertise has been pivotal to its success in Uzbekistan.

GasGreen Asia, a special purpose vehicle wholly owned and operated by Climate Compass, signed a contract with Hududgazta’minot in March 2023 to implement the LDAR program. The project is fully funded by the future generation and sales of carbon emission reduction credits resulting from the project.