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The President discussed preparations for the winter and instructed to increase gas production in Uzbekistan.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev discussed preparations for the autumn-winter season at a meeting on July 21.
According to the official report from the President's press service, responsible officials reported on measures being taken to increase energy production, inject gas into underground storage, and ensure balanced resource supply.
Two combined-cycle plants with a total capacity of 1065 MW are under construction at the Talimarjan TPP, and a new 1573 MW TPP is being built in Syrdarya. The combined design capacity of these facilities will reach 20 billion kWh per year.
In addition, by the end of this year, several new hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 162 MW will be launched in the Tashkent, Namangan, Kashkadarya, and Surkhandarya regions. They will generate 648 million kWh of electricity annually.
At the same time, repair work has begun on relevant grids and substations, and necessary reserves of fuel, spare parts, and components are being formed to ensure the stable operation of thermal power plants.
Key objectives:
The President emphasized the need for consistent modernization of infrastructure and ensuring stable and uninterrupted energy supply.
Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov, in an interview with the "Uzbekistan 24" TV channel, said that considering the growing consumption and preparations for the autumn-winter season, discussions focused on efficient use of domestic resources, extraction, readiness of relevant facilities, current condition of underground gas storage, and their use in the winter period.
"The President instructed to prepare working plans for various scenarios to ensure uninterrupted supply of natural gas to economic sectors, the social sphere, and the population," he added.
According to him, special attention was paid to improving the financial condition of enterprises in the fuel and energy sector. The Ministry of Economy and Finance was instructed to submit specific proposals and solutions on this issue.
Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Khurshed Mustafayev said that the President was presented with a separate presentation on the current situation regarding natural gas production.
"Detailed discussions were held on the production volumes by Uzbekneftegaz, as well as joint ventures and companies operating under production-sharing agreements. Particular attention was paid to achieving annual forecast targets," he noted.
The Deputy Minister stated that in order to reach the planned production volumes, the financial condition of enterprises needs to be improved. A task was also set to increase production at new fields with the involvement of leading global, including European, companies.
According to him, activities of Uzbekneftegaz were analyzed until the end of 2025, including the necessary amount of financing for each direction. Based on the analysis, concrete instructions were given.
Chairman of Uzbekneftegaz Bakhodir Sidikov stressed that the main task is to meet the established forecasts:
"We were tasked with achieving forecast targets, particularly for natural gas production. Clear guidelines and decisions were provided for all areas," he said.
"The meeting covered not only our company's activities but also all joint ventures and operators of production-sharing agreements. It was instructed to organize joint work, monitor production indicators, and consider the possibility of additional extraction beyond the established levels," Sidikov emphasized.
Earlier, the Minister of Energy reported that Uzbekistan and the Azerbaijani company SOCAR will sign a production-sharing agreement by the end of the week. It concerns geological exploration on the Ustyurt plateau in Karakalpakstan.
According to data from the National Statistics Committee, Uzbekistan produced 21.79 billion cubic meters of gas in the first half of 2025, which is 701 million or 3.1% less than in January–June 2024.
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