Uzbekistan will implement a mechanism to compensate consumers when power outages are not resolved within set deadlines, under a decree President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed on September 22, Presidential Decree.
A draft regulation spelling out how the mechanism will work is to be developed by December 2026. Once coordinated with relevant ministries and agencies, it will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers. The Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Energy, and the Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights will be responsible for the effort.
The decree also calls for accelerating work to electrify areas where natural gas is difficult to supply. In November 2026, Uzbekistan will hold talks with international financial institutions to bring in experienced consultants for the project. Those consultants are expected to be engaged in December with technical support from the institutions, and by February 2027 they are to help develop a concept for electrifying gas-scarce areas.
That concept is expected to include:
- preferential electricity tariffs for consumers being switched over to electric power, as well as for those without gas access who already rely on electricity for heating;
- support mechanisms to help consumers buy energy-efficient household appliances to replace equipment made obsolete by the switch to electric heating.
A corresponding draft document is to be prepared by April 2027 and submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers through the standard procedure. The Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the National Energy Efficiency Agency have been designated to carry out these tasks.
The plan to convert heating systems to electricity in mahallas — Uzbekistan's neighborhood communities — that have limited access to natural gas was first announced on July 27 at a video conference chaired by the president. Officials said at the time that 1,916 mahallas currently lack adequate gas supply, and gave the relevant agencies three months to determine how much infrastructure and additional electricity capacity would be needed to convert heating in those communities.
