In 2020, Uzbekistan purchased 5 BCM of gas from Lukoil at a negotiated price, the Deputy Energy Minister Bekhzot Normatov announced at a press briefing on Friday.
“Indeed, the east-bound gas exports to, mainly to China, have decreased fivefold due to the pandemic. However, Lukoil has not stopped exporting to the east this direction. I think that this information is not accurate,” he said.
The deputy minister said that Lukoil is a state-owned enterprise, not a social one. "
“Despite this, we held talks with Lukoil to redirect the gas volumes to the domestic market. Export volumes and export gas prices are confidential information,” he said.
According to him, this year Uzbekistan purchased 5 BCM of gas from Lukoil at a negotiated price.
“Of course, the gas was bought at a lower price than the export price. We have an agreement with Lukoil; in case of higher demand, we can supply gas to the domestic market at the indicated prices,” he added.
Bekhzot Normatov also said that due to the redirection of gas to the domestic market, gas was pumped ahead of schedule into Khojaabad and Gazli underground storage facilities in the required volume.
