Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth

Infrastructure as a Foundation for Job Creation
Uzbekistan depended heavily on foreign borrowing to develop its energy 
sector during the post-Soviet Union years. In the late 1990s, projects in gas 
exploration and development resulted in increased gas supplies (Figure 2.6). 
The country has been a net energy exporter since 1995, mainly of natural gas. 
Uzbekistan has four gas processing plants: Mubarek Gas Processing Plant 
with processing capacity of more than 29 billion cubic meters (m
3
) per 
year, Shurtanneftegaz Oil and Gas Processing Plant with a capacity of
12 billion m
3
/year, Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex with gas processing capacity 
of 4.5 billion m
3
/year, and the Joint Venture Uz-Kor Gas Chemical with gas 
processing capacity of 3.0 billion m
3
/year. 
The government aims to diversify the use of natural gas to include production 
of polyethylene granules, liquefied natural gas, and polymer products. Uz-
Kor Gas, a joint venture with partners from the Republic of Korea, is one of 
the largest gas chemical factories in Central Asia, with annual production of 
more than 3.0 billion m
3
of natural gas from the Surgil deposit in northern 
Karakalpakstan. The total length of gas pipelines in Uzbekistan exceeds 
13,000 km. The capacity of the gas transport system is 55 billion m
3
/year. The 
electricity and residential sectors are the biggest consumers of gas (Table 2.7). 
About 3% of gas is lost in the system. Gas exports amounted to 15.4 billion m
3
in 2018. 
Uzbekistan also produces oil, but the quantity has been dwindling due to lack 
of investment, depletion, and low recovery rates. In renewable energy, only 
hydropower has been developed on a large scale (World Bank 2013).
mtoe = million tons of oil equivalent.
Source: Enerdata. https://www.enerdata.net/ (accessed 21 January 2018).