Uzbekistan resumes gas supplies to Russia
MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) - Uzbekistan resumed gas supplies to Russia at the beginning of January after halting it in the last week of December, Russia's Central Dispatching Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex (CDU TEK) said.
Reduced Uzbek gas supplies to Russia began at the end of November in relation to the balance sheet instruction (over 27 million cu m per day). Throughout December, supplies fell day after day, and on December 26, they stopped altogether.
On the New Year, supplies resumed - during the first week, Uzbekistan supplied a symbolic 2-3 million cu m of gas to Russia. Over the last few days, they have exceeded 10 million cu m per day. However, this is still significantly below the daily plan (27.4 million cu m).
Gas consumption in Uzbekistan is characterized by high seasonal fluctuations. During cold periods, the country reduces and often completely halts exports, instead using the gas for its own internal needs. Sources in the gas industry say that during such periods, Uzbekistan frequently bleeds out Turkmen gas purchased by Gazprom from transit pipelines. According to the CDU TEK, there is evidence confirming such assumptions for the month of December. In agreement with its contract, Gazprom purchases no less than 30 million cu m of gas per day from Turkmenistan. However, in the last days of December, Turkmen gas supplies to Russia were 1.5-4.3 million cu m below the daily plan.
Last winter, Uzbek halted gas exports abroad in February and March.