Tashkent, Feb 12 (IANS): Uzbekistan will increase natural gas production to 56.3 billion cubic metres this year to ensure a stable supply of oil and gas products for the country, the Uzbek Energy Ministry said on Friday.
Uzbekistan, which exports gas to some of its neighbours, including Russia and China, has produced 53.8 billion cubic metres of natural gas in 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.
The resource-rich Central Asian country has been taking steps to reform the energy sector so as to create conditions for competition and investments, which would increase production efficiency, and to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to consumers.
Uzbekistan's energy concept envisages the production of 66.1 billion cubic metres of gas annually by 2030, and prioritises deep processing of natural gas to produce value-added products.