Liquefied gas for the population may become 2.5 times more expensive, those in need will be compensated for the difference

Liquefied gas for the population may increase in price by 2.5 times; those in need will be reimbursed the difference

In Uzbekistan, it has been proposed to increase the retail cost of liquefied gas for the population.

According to the draft, it is proposed to raise the retail price of liquefied gas for household needs of the population by 2.5 times — from 2,000 to 5,000 soums per kilogram, including VAT.

Separately, it is proposed to set the maximum cost of the liquefied gas delivery service to the population by LPG-Trade LLC and entrepreneurs participating in the project at 1,300 soums per kilogram, including VAT.

In the document, it is proposed to introduce the price increase from October 1, 2026. However, the explanatory materials prepared by the authorities specify the date of November 1, which also coincides with the start of the new supply procedure provided for by the September presidential decree.

For socially vulnerable families, it is proposed to introduce compensation in the amount of 3,000 soums for each purchased kilogram of liquefied gas, but for no more than 20 kg per month.

Thus, the maximum compensation will be 60 thousand soums per month. When purchasing 20 kg of gas for 100 thousand soums, the family's expenses, taking compensation into account, will amount to 40 thousand soums — the same amount it currently pays under the active regulated tariff.

The recipients of the compensation will be able to become:

The maximum income for the second category is 1.43 million soums per family member per month.

It is proposed to pay compensations until January 1, 2030.

According to the authorities, the support is planned to cover about 220 thousand subscribers included in the Social Register. 158 billion soums are provided for the relevant payments.

The project provides for the possibility of submitting an application through public service centers, "Inson" social service centers, social workers in mahallas, the Single Portal of Interactive Public Services (my.gov.uz), or the "Social Card" mobile application. The public service will be free of charge.

After submitting the application, the social protection information system will automatically check whether the family belongs to the established category of aid recipients.

Data on the purchase of liquefied gas, its volume, and cost will come from the E-gaz Billing system of Hududgazta'minot.

The compensation will be assigned upon confirmation of the right to aid and the fact of the gas purchase. The draft provides for the assignment of payment from the month of application, followed by inclusion in the payment list for the next month. The funds will be transferred to the family's social card.

Information about the gas purchase and the right to receive aid is expected to be checked monthly. If the conditions are maintained, the compensation will continue automatically, without a re-application.

For families not in the Social Register, an initial check of the socio-economic situation will be carried out three months after application, and then every six months.

The explanatory materials prepared by the authorities state that the current price of 2,000 soums per kilogram does not allow providing consumers with the required volume of liquefied gas within the established timeframe.

According to the authorities, today in Uzbekistan there are about 4 million consumers of household liquefied gas.

If each of them were supplied with 20 kg monthly, the annual requirement would be about 912 thousand tons.

At the same time, the average interval between cylinder deliveries is 30–35 days, and in certain regions it significantly exceeds this period.

As a result, as claimed in the materials, some families have to buy additional gas at market prices — on average from 11 thousand to 13.5 thousand soums per kilogram.

An example given is a resident of the Ishtikhan district of the Samarqand region, to whom gas was delivered on average once every 53 days. For January – July, he received 80 kg at the regulated price and was forced to purchase another 60 kg at 11 thousand soums per kilogram.

Total expenses for this period amounted to 820 thousand soums, or an average of 5,857 soums per kilogram.

In another example, a female resident of the Kushtepa district of the Fergana region had cylinders delivered on average once every 71 days. She had to additionally buy 24 kg of gas at 13.5 thousand soums per kilogram.

According to data presented by the authorities, the total volume of liquefied gas resources in Uzbekistan from 2023 to 2026 is expected to increase by 68% — from 906 thousand to 1.52 million tons.

However, the supply structure is changing significantly.

Domestic production over this period, according to the provided calculations, will decrease from 883 thousand to 803 thousand tons, or by 9%. At the same time, imports will increase from 19 thousand to 713 thousand tons — almost 38 times. For January – September 2026, 539 thousand tons of liquefied gas were imported into the country.

The authorities note that the reduction in domestic production of relatively cheap liquefied gas is accompanied by a growth in the share of more expensive imported fuel.

In addition, the demand for propane from motorists is increasing. As of September 1, 2026, the number of cars using this fuel reached 716 thousand — 35% more than as of November 1, 2024.

According to estimates given in the explanatory materials, in 2023–2025 the state annually provided implicit subsidizing of liquefied gas for household needs of the population by an average of 5.4 trillion soums.

At the same time, the volume of supplies to the population in 2026 is expected to be 4% lower than the 2023 level.

The authorities emphasize that the proposed price of 5,000 soums per kilogram is still not a market price, since part of the costs will continue to be compensated from the budget.

At the same time, it is proposed that the Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee organize continuous monitoring of exchange trading to prevent artificial inflation of liquefied gas prices.