Large gas reserve discovered in Uzbekistan, President says

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the discovery of a "very large gas reserve" in the Ustyurt region at a record depth of 6.5 kilometers, the press service of the president said, Report informs via 24KG.

It is noted that for the first time in the history of Uzbekistan's industry, a well was drilled in the Ustyurt region at a depth of 6,500 meters, as a result of which large reserves of gas were discovered.

According to Shavkat Mirziyoyev, previously, geological exploration work in the oil and gas sector was carried out only at a depth of 2,500 - 3,000 meters.

He also noted that Uzbekistan has large reserves of technological minerals - tellurium, lithium, selenium, graphite, molybdenum, tungsten, titanium and others. According to experts, 10-15 percent of the world's reserves of such resources are concentrated in the Central Asian region, including Uzbekistan.

"To turn these huge resources into high-value-added products, we need science, knowledge and innovation first and foremost," Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

According to the country's Energy Institute, proven gas reserves in Uzbekistan by the end of 2024 amounted to 1.97 trillion cubic meters. At the same time, production has been falling in recent years - 44.6 billion cubic meters by the end of last year. Compared to 2019 (59.4 billion), the drop reached 14.9 billion cubic meters.