The key facts

  • 128 investment blocks prepared: 5.8 trillion cubic meters of gas and 560 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons
  • At Ustyurt, exploration of 6 blocks is being carried out by SOCAR and British Petroleum
  • A pilot project on transferring propane supplies to the private sector will start in Andijan region, with nationwide coverage by the end of 2027

Dialogue with fuel and energy sector investors

On October 16, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held an open dialogue with investors in the fuel and energy sector. He noted the intensification of cooperation in the oil and gas industry, including geological exploration, improving field efficiency, and raw material processing. In particular, exploration of six investment blocks is underway at Ustyurt with the participation of SOCAR and British Petroleum.

128 new blocks for investors

In other regions of the country, another 128 investment blocks have been prepared. Their estimated reserves amount to 5.8 trillion cubic meters of gas and 560 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons. The President indicated that in developing the blocks, the main criteria will be competition, transparency, and efficiency.

Deep processing and plant modernization

Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of deep gas processing to create high value-added products. He mentioned the synthetic liquid fuel production complex in Kashkadarya (Uzbekistan GTL) with a capacity of up to 1.5 million tons of products per year, the construction of a polymer production complex (MTO) in Bukhara region, as well as the modernization of the Bukhara and Fergana oil refineries. According to the President, Uzbekistan expects economically sound projects from investors based on new technologies that meet environmental standards.

Liquefied gas market reform

The President touched on the reform of the liquefied gas market, which has 3.8 million subscribers. Market mechanisms are gradually being introduced in the sector, which was previously under the control of a state monopoly. A pilot project will start in Andijan region to attract the private sector to supply propane to the population. The goal is to transfer these services to business throughout Uzbekistan by the end of 2027.

Personnel training

A separate topic was the need of energy projects for qualified personnel. Mirziyoyev cited the example of the company ACWA, which equipped technical colleges in Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, and Syrdarya regions to train hundreds of young Uzbekistanis per year in new energy specialties. Other investors are also invited to establish specialist training according to international standards; the President expressed readiness to transfer local technical colleges to their management. Starting from 2027, admission quotas for energy specialties in universities will be increased, and annually 50 young people will be able to receive state grants to study at leading world universities.