Gas-rich Uzbekistan may increase Russian gas imports via Kazakhstan

Transit of Russian gas to Uzbekistan began in October 2023, with 1.28 billion cubic meters delivered that year.

“In 2025, Uzbekistan is expected to receive 7.3 billion cubic meters of gas, with plans to increase supplies to 11 billion cubic meters by 2038,” Akkenzhenov said.

These volumes are part of a strategic cooperation agreement between Gazprom and the government of Kazakhstan. However, no official agreement has yet been signed between Russia and Uzbekistan regarding these increased volumes.

Akkenzhenov also noted that in 2025, Kazakhstan will facilitate the transit of 36.2 billion cubic meters of Uzbek and Turkmen gas to China, the same level as the previous year.

Uzbekistan began importing Russian gas via the Central Asia–Center pipeline through Kazakhstan on October 7, 2023, under a two-year contract signed between UzGasTrade and Gazprom Export LLC, which provides for the supply of 9 million cubic meters per day, or about 2.8 billion cubic meters per year.

According to a government resolution on implementing the Q1 2024 investment program, $500 million has been allocated in the first stage of a pipeline modernization plan for 2024–2030. The goal is to increase the country’s daily gas intake to 32 million cubic meters.

While Uzbekistan gears up to triple its gas imports from Russia, the reality on the ground remains strikingly unchanged. Each winter, gas filling stations across the country shut down, claiming there's no gas — drivers sleep in their cars for days in long queues. The Energy Ministry insists that supplies are prioritized for households, yet countless neighborhoods remain disconnected from the gas network for over a decade, and pressure in active lines drops to a flicker. It’s a curious case: a gas-rich nation, flush with new import contracts, where the only thing in high supply seems to be official optimism. As volumes increase, the question lingers — who’s really getting all that gas?