Uzbekistan Aims to Halt Gas Production Decline by 2026 With New Fields

Uzbekistan plans to stabilize its long-term decline in gas production by 2026 through the launch of new gas fields, Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov said, Orda.kz reports, citing Gazeta.uz.

According to him, output has been falling sharply as around 85% of the country’s gas fields are heavily depleted, leading to lower production rates and declining reservoir pressure.

He said the situation could be improved by a “unique” high-pressure gas field in the Muynak district, where the country’s highest-output well has been drilled and where production has already reached about 3 million cubic meters of gas per day.

According to the minister, additional personnel and funding have been deployed to promising regions for geological exploration on the president’s instructions.

As a result of this work, as you know, a new gas field was discovered in the Ustyurt region of Karakalpakstan, in the Muynak area. Most importantly, this field has already been connected to the system, and thanks to the commissioning of two wells, it has become possible to additionally produce 3 million cubic meters of gas [per day],
 the minister said.

By the end of the year, seven more wells are scheduled to be drilled, with infrastructure connections underway and preparations for tying them into the system.

The ministry also reported the start of cooperation with Azerbaijan's SOCAR on exploration activities, while Uzbekneftegaz continues its own projects.

We hope that next year it will be possible to stabilize the observed trend of a sharp decline in production through the launch of new fields,
 the minister emphasized.