From being a seller, Uzbekistan has turned into a buyer of Gazprom's gas, Interfax with reference to the statement and memorandum of the new issue of Eurobonds of Gazprom.
In 2018, Uzbekistan supplied Gazprom with 3.8 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas, in 2019 - 4.9 BCM, and in 2020 stopped them. A fresh memorandum confirms that in Q1 of 2021, Uzbek gas was not supplied to the Russian concern.
Moreover, in 2020, Gazprom began deliveries of Turkmen gas to Uzbekistan: in 2020, 0.9 BCM were supplied, and in Q! of 2021 - already 1.5 BCM (for the same period of 2020, there were no supplies due to the pandemic), according to the memorandum.
It is noteworthy that in Q1 of 2021, Uzbekistan bought three times more Turkmen gas than it exported to China (0.54 BCM), Interfax added.
“The economies of the Central Asian countries are now growing very rapidly. First of all, this concerns Uzbekistan. And we are seeing a big hike in consumption in this country. Therefore, of course, to some degree, gas exports decrease, because the authorities use gas for own needs, if we are talking about Uzbekistan, ”commented on the situation with gas in Uzbekistan in May, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprom/Director General of Gazprom Export Elena Burmistrova.
The supplies of Turkmen gas to the Russian company resumed after a long hiatus in 2019 from 4 BCM, in 2020 the volume increased to 4.7 BCM (including gas for Uzbekistan). In Q1 of 2021, gas purchases in Turkmenistan increased to 2.2 billion from 1.3 BCM a year earlier, according to the memorandum.
Gas purchases by Gazprom in Kazakhstan are also decreasing - from 12.6 BCM in 2018 to 11.6 billion in 2019 and 5.7 BCM in 2020. In Q1 of 2021, supplies fell to 0.6 BCM (from 2.2 billion in the same period in 2020), according to the memorandum.
According to the State Statistics Committee, gas exports by Uzbekistan in January-May 2021 decreased by 26.8% compared to the same period last year.
In 2020, the Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov announced Uzbekistan had plans to stop gas exports. He noted that by 2025 measures will be taken to stop the natural gas exports and its full processing in the country, and to expand the production of high-value products.
