Gas for three Uzbekistans? UzAtom director Azim Akhmedkhojaev accuses public of wasting gas while government exports surge

In recent years, Uzbekistan has been facing a growing gas shortage. In 2024 alone, the country purchased $1.7 billion worth of gas from Russia and Turkmenistan — 2.4 times more than in 2023 and six times more than in 2022.

According to Akhmedkhojaev, the decline in domestic gas production is directly linked to the depletion of old gas fields and delays in developing new ones. Additionally, the rapid growth of industrial production has significantly increased the demand for energy resources.

“Existing gas fields are depleting. Exploring new reserves and refining estimates requires significant investment. This work is currently underway and being implemented,” he stated in an interview with the Alter Ego project.

Akhmedkhojaev believes that the development of nuclear energy will help address the situation in the future.

"If we actively develop nuclear energy, we can reduce electricity generation using gas. This will allow us to direct gas toward the production of high-value-added goods," he noted.

He also commented on the statement made by former Energy Minister Alisher Sultanov four years ago:

"He was right. Do you know what he meant? At first, I didn’t understand why he said that, but then I realized — it was about consumption culture."

He shared a personal experience, recalling a visit to a district where residents demanded gas supplies. After several villages were connected, he visited a four-room house in winter.

"In one large room, a woman with three children sat next to a stove with the gas burning at full pressure. The window was open. Meanwhile, the other rooms were cold. If the gas had been used rationally, the entire house could have been heated," he recounted.

"At the time, gas and electricity were very cheap. When I suggested installing a small heating system, the homeowner replied: ‘Why should I? I'll just pay the bill.’ That shocked me."

Akhmedkhojaev concluded that Sultanov’s words were directly related to consumption culture:

"If not for our deeply ingrained consumption habits, gas would indeed be enough for three Uzbekistans."

While Akhmedkhojaev places blame on ordinary citizens for gas shortages, he fails to address the government's role in continuing gas exports, despite previous promises to halt them. Official data from the Statistics Committee reveals that Uzbekistan exported $42 million worth of gas in January and February 2025, marking a 57.3% increase compared to the same period last year ($26.7 million). In February alone, gas exports surged to $20.2 million, up by 3.54 times from February 2024.

At the same time, gas imports have plummeted. Between January and February 2025, Uzbekistan imported only $35.8 million worth of gas — a sixfold decline from the $166.7 million imported during the same period last year. Notably, in February alone, gas imports dropped to just $8 million, a staggering 16.4-fold reduction. Meanwhile, domestic gas production also fell, with February output decreasing by 208.8 million cubic meters, bringing total production to 3.5015 billion cubic meters, a 4.2% drop since the start of the year.