Energy Ministry failing to ensure energy security: Man and his wife died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Tashkent region

The Prosecutor General’s Office says the incident is currently under investigation. But most likely, like always, the deceased will be blamed for “non-compliance” with fire safety rules.

It is true that many people in Uzbekistan use home-made appliances in the autumn-winter season to keep themselves and their families warm in the cold. Because the vast majority of the population in regions and districts have no pipeline gas supply and they have no other means to “survive”. The Ministry of Energy never takes the blame.

In the meantime, however, the republic exports millions of tons of gas to foreign countries – mainly to China.

According to the General Customs Administration of the PRC, in January-October 2021, Uzbekistan exported 2.57 million tons of gas to China for $601.27 million.

At a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in August, it was reported that the proven reserves of natural gas in Uzbekistan as of January 1, 2021, are estimated at 1 trillion 866.9 billion cubic meters. This is more by 766.9 BCM than the estimate of the British BP, which at the end of 2016 reported that Uzbekistan has about 1.1 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves.

Worldometers says Uzbekistan’s gas reserves are 42.7 times its annual consumption. This means it has about 43 years of gas left.

It should be reminded that on November 24, a student of the Nukus State Pedagogical Institute had died in a rented apartment from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Also, on November 24, the bodies of two workers were found in a container belonging to the company Agrokimyotaminotservis in Samarkand region. Their death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Prior to that, on November 18, a 62-year-old man and his 31-year-old son died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Fergana region.

Doniyor Tukhsinov

Journalist