Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 7 June, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2024, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Board of PJSC Gazprom, met with a delegation from Uzbekistan, which included Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev and Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov.

According to Gazprom, the main topics of discussion were the current and prospective supplies of Russian gas to Uzbekistan.

In June 2023, a two-year contract was signed for the supply of Russian gas to Uzbekistan, along with the approval of a roadmap to prepare Uzbekistan’s gas transportation system for receiving and transporting Russian pipeline gas.

In October 2023, a ceremonial event marked the beginning of Russian natural gas supplies to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan. The supplies are organized in reverse mode along a specially allocated route based on the Central Asia – Center main gas pipeline system.

According to the signed contract, Russia supplies 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas annually to Uzbekistan.

In November 2023, Gazprom and the Government of Uzbekistan signed a Strategic Memorandum of Cooperation in the energy sector, aimed at developing cooperation in gas supply and transportation, as well as in geological exploration and hydrocarbon production.

Uzbekistan is interested in increasing the volumes of gas supplies from Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin also announced efforts to expand the capacity of the Central Asia – Center pipeline system, which will allow increasing the volume of gas pumped to Uzbekistan to 11 billion cubic meters per year by 2025.

Earlier, the first stage of a program to modernize the main gas pipeline system was announced, aimed at increasing natural gas imports in the northern direction from 2024 to 2030. The project’s cost is US$500 million. As a result of the modernization, the supply volume from Russia to Uzbekistan will increase from 9 to 32 million cubic meters of gas per day.