JSC Uzbekneftegaz and Canadian energy company Condor Energies have agreed to jointly increase output at eight producing gas condensate fields in Uzbekistan.
Condor says it will use the same advanced technologies and operational methods used in Western Canada. Work is planned to start in the first quarter of 2024 after the project’s feasibility study is complete.
The agreement will make Condor Uzbekneftegaz’s first Western strategic operating partner. That not only ensures an increase in the country’s domestic natural gas supply, but will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The work is expected to provide a significant number of jobs in Uzbekistan. Condor Energies intends to earn a percentage of net profits by assuming all project costs.
Despite the fact that Uzbekistan is introducing green technologies into its energy-production mix, natural gas remains the key source of fuel in the republic. The country’s total gas reserves are estimated at almost 1.9 trillion cubic meters. Uzbekistan has 296 oil & gas fields, 122 of which belong to Uzbekneftegaz. Gas reserves in them amount to 933 billion cubic meters. The largest of these is the Mubarak field, where 33% of the aforementioned volume of gas, or about 305 billion cubic meters, is concentrated. In 2023 the country’s gas production fell 9.6% year-on-year to 46.7 billion cubic meters. Uzbekistan has thus flipped from being a net exporter to a net importer of natural gas. The republic now buys gas from Turkmenistan and Russia.
