Uzbekistan is collaborating with China to construct an underground natural gas storage facility, a strategic initiative aimed at securing a stable energy supply for the landlocked country, which has the highest population in Central Asia. This partnership represents a continued effort to attract foreign investment into its oil and gas sector.

Project Details and Location

The planned facility is expected to have a capacity of up to 1.5 billion cubic meters (Bcm) of natural gas and will be situated at the Korabayir field in the Kasan district of the Kashkadarya region. Preliminary geological studies have identified the field's 12th horizon as the optimal location for the gas storage facility.

Expansion of Energy Cooperation

High-level talks were held at the end of October between Uzbekistan's Energy Ministry and the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to discuss expanding energy cooperation and launching new strategic projects. The discussions, which included Uzbekistan's Energy Minister and the Chairman of CNPC, covered several key areas:

• Establishing the underground gas storage facility.
• Construction of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline.
• Development of gas condensate fields in the Bukhara region of southwestern Uzbekistan.
• Commissioning of new fields.
• Providing training programs for qualified specialists in Uzbekistan's oil and gas sector.

Commitments and Support

CNPC expressed its commitment to leveraging its expertise to deepen cooperation with Uzbekistan in areas including energy infrastructure construction, oil and gas exploration and production, and new energy. In response, Uzbekistan's Energy Minister emphasized the importance of the cooperation and pledged the ministry's support to facilitate CNPC's business development within the country.

History of Collaboration

CNPC has been active in Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry since 2006, providing services such as geophysical prospecting, well drilling, and logging. The company has a history of joint projects with Uzbekistan's state-owned Uzbekneftegaz, including the Silk Road project, the Mingbulak oilfield project, and the Uzbekistan-China Gas Pipeline project.