Uzbekistan plans to gradually replace gas with electricity

Uzbekistan plans to gradually reduce natural gas consumption by switching residents to electricity for household needs, including heating and cooking. This was announced by First Deputy Minister of Energy Umid Mamadaminov at a meeting of the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan faction in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

The discussion was prompted by a question from Shokirjon Akhmedov, a member of the Fergana Region Committee on Entrepreneurship, Competition Development, and Industry. He expressed concern about potential gas supply problems in the Fergana Valley this fall and winter and inquired whether the deputies would be able to guarantee residents of the region an uninterrupted supply during the heating season.

Mamadaminov did not directly answer the question about gas supply, but stated that state policy calls for a gradual transition away from natural gas in favor of electrification. "We are gradually transitioning away from natural gas and pursuing a policy of electrification," he said. "That is, our people must understand that gas supplies will only decrease, not increase, with each passing year," the deputy minister emphasized. He added that the main goal is a gradual transition to electricity for household needs, including heating and cooking.

This statement was made in the context of a discussion of energy supplies for the upcoming autumn-winter period, with the parliamentary question directly related to the possibility of avoiding gas supply problems in the Fergana Valley.

Earlier, Milliy Tiklanish Party Chairman Alisher Kadyrov proposed building new homes without gas supply in order to channel natural gas toward economic development rather than household consumption.

At the end of December 2025, the authorities also considered introducing reduced electricity tariffs for residents of homes equipped with electric stoves instead of gas. Discounts for consumers in areas without gas supply, who do not receive liquefied natural gas or coal at subsidized prices, were also discussed. However, according to the presented material, this initiative has not progressed further since the end of the winter period.

The issue of switching from gas to electricity is also being discussed against the backdrop of declining production of natural gas, oil, and coal. In early August, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev stated that gas was insufficient to meet the country's needs and proposed increasing the use of solar energy.