China Increases Gas Imports From Uzbekistan By 52.5% In 10M 2022
Uzbekistan exported natural gas worth US$916.7 million to China from January through October 2022, according to Uzbek national media. That is an increase of 52.5% compared to the same period last year.
Uzbekistan is among the prioritized gas exporters for China in the Central Asia region. The country ranks fifth in terms of natural gas supplies to China, behind Turkmenistan in first place, followed by Russia, Myanmar and Kazakhstan.
The situation represents something of a boom for Uzbekistan, as the national Uzbek Uztransgaz JSC had previously discussing abandoning gas exports in 2025-2026 due to the growth of its consumption in the local market. Instead, export demand has significantly increased due to the West’s sanctions on Russia. Prices have risen as demand in the West for alternative supplies have increased, in turn impacting inflation rates which has depreciated currency values.
The Central Asian Gas Pipeline
The 3,666km long Central Asia-China gas pipeline begins at Gedaim, on the Turkmenistan / Uzbekistan border, and ends at Horgos, in the Xinjiang region of China. The pipeline consists of dual parallel lines, Line A and Line B, each measuring 1,833km in length. The diameter of the pipeline is 1,067mm, with walls of 15.9mm and 19.1mm.
Line A was completed in 28 months and inaugurated in December 2009. Line B became operational in October 2010. The fourth compressor station in Kazakhstan was completed in December 2010. The total cost of the project is estimated at $7.31bn.
The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) began construction of the pipeline in August 2007. CNPC Exploration and Development Company, a subsidiary of CNPC, executed the project.
The pipeline transported 4.38 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas from fields in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to China’s gas transportation network in 2010. In April 2006, CNPC signed a contract with Turkmenistan for supplying natural gas to China for 30 years.
China and Uzbekistan signed an agreement in June 2010, under which Uzbekistan will provide 10bcm of natural gas a year to China. As part of the agreement, Uzbekistan’s gas pipeline network was connected to the Central Asia-China gas pipeline to supply natural gas.
Related Reading
