TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, March 9. Uzbekistan intends to increase imports of natural gas from Russia in transit through the territory of Kazakhstan by almost four times, Trend reports.
According to Kazakh Ministry of Energy, transit gas supplies to Uzbekistan are planned to quadruple from 2026 - up to 11 billion cubic meters per year.
"With the participation of the head of state, last year the transit of Russian gas in the amount of up to 3 billion cubic meters per year was launched through the territory of our country to Uzbekistan," Kazakh Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev said at a board meeting of the Energy Ministry.
On October 7, 2023, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan gave a start to the transit of Russian natural gas through the territory of Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan via the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan planned to increase imports of Russian gas from the current 9 million to 32 million cubic meters per day (11.68 billion cubic meters per year).
As part of the investment program for gasification of Uzbekistan worth $500 million, Russia's Gazprombank loans will be used to modernize 511 km of gas trunk pipelines and 10 gas pumping stations.