Uzbekistan boosts gas exports despite previous plans to halt them

According to a report by the National Statistics Committee, Uzbekistan imported natural gas worth $35.8 million during the first two months of 2025.

This figure is 4.6 times lower in monetary terms compared to the $166.7 million worth of gas imported from Russia and Turkmenistan during the same period in 2024.

In January, gas imports amounted to $27.8 million (compared to $35.6 million in January 2024), and in February they fell sharply to $8 million (down from $131.1 million a year earlier). The statistics agency does not disclose the physical volumes of gas delivered.

At the same time, Uzbekistan began exporting more gas than it did in the previous year. In January–February 2025, gas exports reached $42 million, nearly 1.6 times more than the $26.7 million recorded during the same period in 2024.

January exports stood at $21.8 million, while February saw $20.2 million in gas shipments. Uzbekistan mainly exports gas to China, as well as to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

According to China’s General Administration of Customs, gas imports from Uzbekistan to China totaled $49.4 million from the beginning of the year—13.9% lower than the $57.4 million recorded during the first two months of 2024.

In January, China imported $26.1 million worth of gas from Uzbekistan, followed by $23.3 million in February. The physical volumes of these imports have not been disclosed.

According to Kyrgyzstan’s National Statistical Committee, Uzbekistan has resumed gas exports to Kyrgyzstan. While no deliveries were recorded in January–February 2024, this year 10.4 million cubic meters worth $1.84 million were exported to the neighboring country.

The export price averaged $177 per thousand cubic meters (approximately 2,300 UZS per cubic meter).

Some of Uzbekistan’s gas exports may also have gone to Tajikistan, which imported 267 million cubic meters of Uzbek gas in 2024—a 21% increase compared to the previous year—averaging around 22.2 million cubic meters per month.