BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, November 1. Kyrgyzstan is seeking to have Russian Gazprom handle gas extraction within the country, Taalaibek Ibraev, the Minister of Energy for Kyrgyzstan said, Trend reports.
He made this statement during the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum.
Ibraev also emphasized that Kyrgyzstan wishes to have Gazprom involved in both oil extraction and processing operations within the country.
He stated that while gas supply to Kyrgyzstan's population was 22 percent in 2014, it has now climbed to 38 percent. The goal is to have 60 percent of the population covered by gas by 2030. The minister also emphasized Gazprom's significant investments in Kyrgyzstan's gas sector.
He emphasized that using gas for heating is an alternative to coal, which pollutes the air in Kyrgyzstan.
Gazprom Kyrgyzstan, a subsidiary of Gazprom, is actively investing in the modernization of Kyrgyzstan's gas infrastructure. Since the beginning of its operations in 2014, the company has already invested over 32 billion soms ($3.5 billion) into this initiative.