Gulf Oil planned to open 100 gas stations in Uzbekistan in two years. At what stage is the project?

**Gulf Oil was planning to open 100 gas stations in Uzbekistan in two years. What stage is the project at?**

American Gulf Oil is still evaluating the economic feasibility of creating a network of gas stations in Uzbekistan. Abrorjon Khudoyberganov, Deputy Chairman of the Board for Refining at Uzbekneftegaz, shared this at a press conference.

According to him, as part of the cooperation with Gulf Oil, promising sites for the construction of gas stations have already been studied, primarily along major highways.

"Our main role was to assist them and identify promising locations, including the busiest sections along major roads. Studies have been conducted, and the necessary documents have been collected. Currently, they are carrying out calculations regarding the project's economic efficiency," Khudoyberganov reported.

He specified that the American company had studied highways in all regions of Uzbekistan.

When selecting potential sites for gas stations, the investor considers traffic intensity, the number of cars and existing operational stations, the prevalence of electric vehicles, as well as the regions' fuel needs.

"They must reach a conclusion as to how viable it is to build a gas station in a particular location, and whether it will pay off taking the traffic flow into account. Only after they make a decision will it be possible to move on to the next stage," the deputy chairman explained.

Answering a question about the construction timeline and the possible equity participation of Uzbekneftegaz in the project, Khudoyberganov said that the corresponding decisions have not yet been made.

As a reminder, in October 2025, Uzbekneftegaz and American Gulf Oil signed a memorandum on creating a network of gas stations worth about $100 million.

As the Ministry of Energy informed Gazeta at the time, the project provided for the construction of up to 100 gas stations in all regions of the country, primarily along main highways. It was planned that the project would be fully funded by the foreign investor, while Uzbekneftegaz would act as the state partner necessary for its implementation.

Fuel for the stations was expected to be purchased at the Republican Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange under general conditions or imported independently.

On February 18, 2026, Gulf Vice President Craig Kramer, at a meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Washington, announced plans to open at least 100 modern gas stations in Uzbekistan within two years.

According to him, the company intended to invest at least $150 million in the network, and funding for the project was fully secured.

"They will be built to Western standards and supplied with high-quality fuel. During this period, we will invest at least $150 million in retail assets. The funding is fully secured," Kramer stated at the time.

He also reported that the khokims of all regions had offered the company nearly 200 facilities for the development of gas station infrastructure.

In addition to regular gas stations, Gulf planned to establish transport hubs along highways for tourists and transit carriers. Each station was expected to create at least 30 jobs, totaling over 3,000 jobs.

Furthermore, the company announced its intention to direct about $50 million into the aviation sector through Gulf Aviation and to locate its Central Asian operational base in Tashkent.

In the presence of the President of Uzbekistan, Deputy Minister of Energy Umid Mamadaminov and Craig Kramer signed an agreement on the construction of the gas station network.

In June 2026, the Khokimiyat of the Samarkand region reported on the progress of the Gulf project following a meeting between Minister of Investment Laziz Kudratov, Region Khokim Adiz Boboev, and Robert Wexler, a member of the American company's board of directors.

According to the report, the total value of the project at that time was already estimated at $250 million. In the first phase, six gas stations were privatized, the majority of which were located in the Samarkand region.

By the end of 2026, it was planned to privatize, modernize, and bring another 32 gas stations up to international standards.

In August, Gulf representatives also held talks at the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan. The parties discussed the implementation of the joint investment project and agreed on a plan for its further development.

At the press conference on October 27, representatives of Uzbekneftegaz did not specify how many of the 32 gas stations previously planned for acquisition had been bought out, whether their modernization had begun, or if the opening schedule announced by the investor remained intact.

To recall, Uzbekneftegaz previously owned the country's largest network of gas stations — UNG Petro, which included 78 stations.

In November 2023, the gas station network and the Chinaz Oil Refinery were transferred to Petroleum Technology Group, owned by Daniyar Kamilov — the son of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov. Later, the network was renamed Carvon.

Currently, Uzbekneftegaz is again developing its own network of gas stations. According to the company, since the beginning of 2026, the number of operating gas stations has grown from 31 to 52.