Page 12 - FSUOGM Week 03 2023

FSUOGM PIPELINES & TRANSPORT FSUOGM

Turkmenistan reportedly halts gas

exports to Uzbekistan amid big freeze

TURKMENISTAN TURKMENISTAN has halted gas exports to fields, according to the media outlet.
neighbouring Uzbekistan and reduced pipeline Although Turkmen gas supplies to Uzbeki-
Uzbekistan is grappling deliveries to China, according to Uzbek media stan via the Central Asia Central pipeline have
with gas and power reports. fallen to zero, Turkmenistan has reportedly
shortages. Uzbekistan’s energy ministry confirmed continued pumping gas at a diminished rate
another sharp reduction in pressure in gas to China via a newer pipeline connection, the
pipelines as the country grappled with gas and Central Asia-China pipeline, that traverses
power shortages and outages that have left many Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before reaching the
Uzbeks exposed to sub-zero weather with no Chinese border.
heating. Uzbekistan’s presidential press office Uzbekistan’s energy ministry has also referred
said on January 16 that President Shavkat Mirzi- to difficulties in maintaining gas import levels
yoyev had cut short an official visit to Singapore due to what was described as “an accident at gas
in order to address the dire energy shortages fields at a neighbouring country”, according to
at home. On January 17, Mirziyoyev fired the trade publication Upstream.
mayor of Tashkent Jahangir Artykhodjayev, In mid-December, Tashkent said the coun-
arguing that he had failed to adequately prepare try had contracted additional imports of 1.5bn
the capital city for the onset of freezing winter cubic metres (bcm) of gas from Turkmenistan
weather. to flow until March as an answer to a dearth of
Turkmenistan began reducing its piped gas domestic gas.
exports to Uzbekistan via the Daryalyk pumping Amid the current gas shortages, Uzbekistan
facility on January 12, Gazeta.uz reported. This has suspended natural gas sales for motor fuel
followed a sharp drop in ambient air tempera- – such fuel is popular as a cheaper option than
tures well below the freezing point that led to the gasoline in the country – and has restricted gas
formation of gas hydrates at Turkmen gas and oil deliveries to industrial consumers. ™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 03 18•January•2023