Uzbekistan Faces Fuel Shortage Pressure as Imports Rise

Central Asia is facing a new wave of tension in the market for fuels and lubricants. Shortages of gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel have affected the entire region to varying degrees, but the situation is developing differently in each country. For Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the problem is one of direct import dependence. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which have their own production and refining capacity, are in a more stable position. However, rapidly growing domestic demand is increasingly tying them to imports. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kazakhstan is tightening domestic controls, building up reserves ahead of refinery maintenance, and considering fuel imports from China to protect its own market. Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, has appealed to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan for help in securing fuel supplies, as shortages inside Russia are placing additional pressure on the local fuel market. Uzbekistan’s refining system includes the Bukhara and Fergana oil refineries, the Altyaryk unit of the Fergana refinery, and the modern Uzbekistan GTL complex, which produces synthetic liquid fuels from natural gas. The system produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, oils, naphtha, bitumen, and liquefied gas. From January through May 2026, Uzbekistan imported 642 million liters of gasoline worth $373 million. Import volume was 84% higher than in the same period last year, while import value rose by 85%. Imports now cover nearly half of domestic demand. Domestic gasoline production during the five-month period totaled 502,200 tons, equivalent to about 670 million to 678 million liters. Output has declined in recent years, falling from 1.33 million tons in 2023 to 1.2 million tons in 2025. The pressure has also reached the domestic fuel exchange. In late June, AI-92 gasoline prices in Uzbekistan hit a record high, with one ton selling for 13.919 million soums. Since the start of June, prices have risen by about 11% to 12%. The steepest increase came in the first 10 days of the month. Supply on the exchange then fell sharply, from up to 7,700 tons in the first half of June to 1,600 to 2,400 tons in the second half. The price rise has already begun to affect retail fuel costs, especially in Tashkent. One reason for the imbalance was Uzbekistan’s phased reduction of AI-80 gasoline under an environmental reform. In May, Odil Temirov, deputy chairman of Uzbekneftegaz’s board for refining, said the Bukhara Oil Refinery would begin switching from AI-80 to AI-91 and AI-92 in November and December, with a full phase-out of AI-80 from the start of 2025. He said AI-80 accounted for 85% of output at the refinery, while AI-92 made up the remaining 15%, and that this ratio would begin to change in November. Demand quickly shifted toward AI-92 and AI-95, but domestic production has not yet adapted to the new consumption pattern. Additional pressure came from events in Russia, which remains one of the key suppliers of gasoline, refinery feedstock, and aviation fuel. Reduced output at Russian refineries, caused by repairs and the aftermath of attacks on energy...