TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 7. Uzbekistan's gas production has reached 31.39 billion cubic meters from January through August of 2023, which is 9.4 percent less compared to the same period last year, Trend reports.
The monthly breakdown of gas production in 2023 reveals a consistent decrease when compared to the corresponding months in 2022. In January, 4.31 billion cubic meters of gas were produced, reflecting a decrease of 7.5 percent from January 2022.
February saw a production of 3.85 billion cubic meters, marking a 9 percent decrease from the previous year. In March, gas production amounted to 4.16 billion cubic meters, experiencing a significant decrease of 12.96 percent.
The trend continued with April producing 3.94 billion cubic meters (-8.1 percent), May with 3.6 billion cubic meters (-11.2 percent), June with 3.7 billion cubic meters (-8.9 percent), and July with 3.9 billion cubic meters (-8.3 percent).
However, there was a slight increase in production in August, reaching 3.92 billion cubic meters, slightly surpassing the previous month's figures. Despite this monthly uptick, gas production in August 2023 was still 9 percent lower than that of August 2022, which had seen production levels at 4.3 billion cubic meters.
The decrease in gas production over the first eight months of 2023 is undoubtedly going to impact various sectors of the Uzbek economy and may warrant closer examination and strategic planning in the country's energy sector.
Meanwhile, Russia is set to start supplying its gas to Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan starting on October 7. This was revealed by President of Russia Vladimir Putin at a joint press conference with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirzoyoyev, who is on a visit to Russia.
On January 24, 2023, the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and Gazprom signed a roadmap for cooperation in the gas industry.