A working meeting of the Chairman of the Board of Gazprom PJSC Alexey Miller with the Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan Taalaibek Ibraev took place as part of the XII St. Petersburg International Gas Forum 2023. The press service of Gazprom company reported.
The parties discussed readiness of the republic’s gas transportation and gas distribution systems for operation in the autumn-winter period. It was noted that Gazprom Kyrgyzstan completed all the necessary technical measures at production facilities.
Alexey Miller and Taalaibek Ibraev signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the development of the gas industry of the Kyrgyz Republic.
«The document is aimed at long-term cooperation in the gas sector, as well as exploring the possibility of cooperation in the electric power industry,» Gazprom reports.
Taalaibek Ibraev was one of the speakers at the XII St. Petersburg International Gas Forum 2023. He announced there that Gazprom PJSC was going to produce oil and gas in the south of Kyrgyzstan. He also told about plans to switch the Bishkek Heating and Power Plant to gas next year.
«We have ambitious plans to increase gas supply in the republic. We have a thermal power plant in Bishkek that generates 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and can run on gas. There is a similar plant in the south. Gas supplies come from neighbors — Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Naturally, when the Central Asian gas flow has been restored and our neighbors want to receive additional volumes of fuel, this is beneficial for us. There are big projects in the future. We want to convert the Bishkek Heating and Power Plant from coal to gas in 2024. This will be a promising project for us,» Taalaibek Ibraev said.
«The project with Kyrgyzneftegaz will give an opportunity to provide the south of the republic with gas. When Gazprom PJSC invests in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, this is also beneficial for us. The economy of Kyrgyzstan is growing, energy consumption is growing by 10-12 percent annually, so gas will naturally be an alternative to electricity,» Taalaibek Ibraev concluded.
