Gazprom seeks new routes for Russian gas. It also wants to cooperate with Uzbekistan

Russian gas giant Gazprom signed a memorandum on strategic cooperation with the Uzbek government last week. The cooperation will cover the extraction of fossil fuels, as well as natural gas supplies and transportation. Although Uzbekistan meets most of its gas needs through domestic production, imports from Russia will help the country during peak demand in winter.

According to S&P Global, Russia’s Gazprom launched a new strategic partnership with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy during an international gas forum held in St Petersburg. Gazprom began supplying natural gas to Uzbekistan last month.

According to S&P Global, Gazprom said the proposed route for gas supplies via Kazakhstan is important for ensuring stable energy supplies to customers in Uzbekistan, especially during autumn and winter.

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy announced a new natural gas supply deal in June this year. Daily volumes of 9 million cubic metres, or just under 100 GWh, represent a fraction of the volume Russia lost when it reduced natural gas supplies to Europe. However, they will help Uzbekistan meet peak demand during the heating season. Gazprom officially launched natural gas supplies from Russia to Uzbekistan on 7 October.

Gazprom seeks new routes

Although the volume of gas supplies to Uzbekistan is very small, it marks a further expansion of Gazprom’s customer portfolio. According to S&P Global, the company’s CEO Alexey Miller said at the recent forum that this new route is just one of many gas transportation corridors in the region.

"There is another gas corridor, Bukhara–Ural, which runs through Uzbekistan. It makes economic sense to explore options for gas supplies from Russia and for gasifying the northern and north-eastern regions of Kazakhstan. For these reasons, we are already examining new transportation routes, including one that would enable Astana to be gasified. We are already working together on this route," said Alexey Miller.