Uzbekistan’s Gas Output Falls by 15% as Imports Rise
Uzbekistan’s pure fuel manufacturing fell by 15% within the first quarter of 2026, including strain to an power system already strained by rising demand, getting older infrastructure, and decrease hydrocarbon output.
The nation produced 9.6 billion cubic meters of pure fuel in January-March, down from 11.3 billion in the identical interval final 12 months. The figures are based mostly on information from Uzbekistan’s National Statistics Committeewhich additionally declines listed in oil, coal, and fuel condensate manufacturing.
Oil output fell to 157,300 tons within the first quarter, in contrast with 160,800 tons in the identical interval final 12 months. Coal manufacturing declined from 1.2 million tons to 1.1 million tons, whereas fuel condensate output fell much more sharply, dropping from 296,600 tons to 242,300 tons. Motor gasoline manufacturing rose to 313,200 tons, whereas diesel output elevated to 280,900 tons.
The newest information displays an extended shift in Uzbekistan’s power stability. Uzbekistan was long a net gas exportersupported by massive Soviet-era fields, a broad home fuel community, and entry to the Central Asia-China pipeline system. That place has weakened as older fields have declined and home use has grown.
Uzbekistan now has to cowl demand from households, energy vegetation, business, and transport whereas attempting to modernize the sector. That job is getting tough. The nation’s everlasting inhabitants reached 38.2 million individuals as of January 1, 2026, in line with official statisticsresulting in extra pressure on the grid.
Imports have risen sharply to fulfill these wants. Uzbekistan spent $360.5 million on natural gas imports within the first quarter of 2026, a 2.2-fold enhance from the identical interval final 12 months. Meanwhile, fuel export revenues fell to $36.7 million, down from $94.3 million a 12 months earlier.
That shift has regional weight. Uzbekistan imports fuel from Russia and Turkmenistan. Russian fuel reaches Uzbekistan by way of Kazakhstan, utilizing a Soviet-era pipeline route that when moved fuel in the wrong way. Uzbekistan started receiving Russian fuel in 2023, as Moscow sought new markets after shedding a lot of its European fuel enterprise. The Times of Central Asia beforehand reported that Russian gas exports to Uzbekistan rose by about 30% in 2025reaching greater than 7 billion cubic meters by way of the Central Asia-Center pipeline system.
Tashkent and Moscow have since mentioned bigger power provides. In April, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin agreed to increase deliveries of Russian oil and gas to Uzbekistan. The talks additionally lined wider cooperation in power, business, transportation, and agriculture.
More imports may help Uzbekistan keep away from shortages, particularly in winter, whereas supporting energy era and decreasing strain on households. But additionally they carry new prices, with increased imports weighing on the commerce stability and rising reliance on overseas suppliers. That is a delicate difficulty for a rustic attempting to develop its home business and preserve power costs secure.
The authorities is attempting to sluggish the manufacturing decline. Uzbekneftegaz has stated that exploration work added 2 billion cubic meters of fuel reserves and 40,000 tons of liquid hydrocarbon reserves within the first quarter. The firm plans to drill and fee 22 new wells within the second quarter and restore 31 current wells, in line with reporting by Kun.uz.
Those steps could assist stabilize provide, however they don’t handle the broader downside. New wells can offset a part of the decline from older fields, and repairs can increase every day output, however the nationwide development nonetheless downward factors, and the system wants heavy funding in manufacturing, storage, pipelines, and distribution.
Aging infrastructure is one other strain level. In March, the World Bank permitted help for fuel community enhancements in Uzbekistan, stating that the nation’s fuel infrastructure had deteriorated due to underinvestment in upkeep and repairs. Without upgrades, fuel losses may attain 1.75 billion cubic meters by 2030, slicing income by $228 million.
Network repairs are much less seen than new energy vegetation, however they’ll liberate massive volumes of fuel with out new extraction.
Tashkent can also be attempting to scale back the position of fuel in electrical energy era. The authorities has moved rapidly on photo voltaic, wind, hydropower, battery storage, and grid tasks. TCA beforehand reported on Uzbekistan’s wider renewable-energy buildout, together with green-energy output reaching 9 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025.
In December 2025, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched and commissioned a brand new bundle of power amenities. The presidential website stated the amenities would generate 15 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical energy a 12 months as soon as totally operational and cut back pure fuel consumption by practically 7 billion cubic meters. The bundle included ten energy-storage programs with a complete capability of 1,245 megawatts. Batteries can retailer energy from photo voltaic and wind vegetation, then launch it when demand rises, decreasing the necessity for gas-fired backup era at peak hours.
Uzbekistan’s clean-energy targets are additionally tied to decrease fuel use. Its third nationally decided contribution beneath the Paris Agreement says renewable power capability ought to exceed 50% of whole era capability by 2030. It additionally tasks that pure fuel consumption may fall by 30.26 billion cubic meters in 2030.
Those targets are formidable, significantly provided that demand is rising. Uzbekistan desires quicker industrial progress, extra home processing, and better dwelling requirements. That means extra factories, housing, cooling, heating, transportation, and digital infrastructure. New renewable capability could also be wanted to fulfill further demand earlier than fuel use could be sharply lowered.
The fuel figures from the primary quarter present why the timetable is tightening. Uzbekistan is transferring rapidly on renewable power, however fuel nonetheless anchors the nation’s energy system, heating community, and industrial base.
The subsequent take a look at will come earlier than winter. If manufacturing retains falling by way of 2026, Tashkent will want extra imports, quicker repairs, decrease export volumes, or quicker financial savings from new power tasks. Each choice carries a price, and none provides a fast repair.
Uzbekistan’s power technique now rests on 4 linked duties: slowing the autumn in fuel output, decreasing waste in previous infrastructure, managing imports, and bringing new energy capability on-line. The first-quarter numbers present that there’s little room for delay.
