Uzbekistan and China’s CNPC Sign Deal to Build Underground Gas Storage Facility

The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) have signed a memorandum of cooperation to construct a new underground gas storage facility.

According to the ministry's press service, the facility is planned to be located at the Qorabayir field in the Koson district of the Kashkadarya region, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

Based on the results of preliminary research, the 12th horizon of the field has been identified as the most suitable site for the project.

The facility is expected to have the capacity of 1.5 billion cubic metres of active natural gas, which the ministry said will play a strategic role in ensuring stability of the country's energy supply and smoothing out seasonal fluctuations in consumption.

In January 2024, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with the CNPC management on the construction of underground gas storage facilities, the modernisation of the gas transmission system and the introduction of cutting-edge drilling technologies. In September this year, the parties again discussed the details of the project.