TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 7. More than 5.1 billion cubic meters of gas have been pumped into underground storage facilities in Uzbekistan, which is almost one billion cubic meters more than last year, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov said in an interview to local media, Trend reports.
“This year, we’ve significantly increased production volumes, particularly through renewable energy sources. At the moment, more than 5.1 billion cubic meters of gas have been pumped into underground storage facilities, which is almost one billion cubic meters more than last year. We have made significant progress in preparing for the winter period by ensuring sufficient fuel reserves,” he said.
Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov emphasized that preparations are in full swing, not just for the chilly fall and winter months, but also for the sizzling summer ahead, as energy use goes through the roof.
“Our power engineers are always ready for any situation, and this year we began preparations especially early. The president has instructed us to consider past shortcomings and lessons learned. We paid special attention to all aspects, from production, transportation, and distribution to generation. Additional capacity has also been put in place because, in previous years, the main problem was insufficient generation. Consumption was growing, but not enough capacity was commissioned,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the volume of natural gas production in Uzbekistan amounted to 29.9 billion cubic meters from January through August 2024. This figure indicates a 4.4 percent decline year-on-year (31.3 billion cubic meters in January–August 2023).