AI-80 gasoline price controls lifted following Competition Committee directive

The order, issued by the Committee for the Development of Competition and Consumer Protection, removes the upper limit on the starting price increase of AI-80 gasoline during exchange trading.

The cap – set at 5% of the initial price – had been in effect since November 13, 2024, after the exchange price of AI-80 gasoline surpassed the psychological threshold of 10 million UZS per ton. The decision to impose the restriction was made by the Competition Committee in response to the price surge.

According to data from the Uzbek Commodity Exchange (UzRTSB), AI-80 gasoline prices dropped by 8% on the first day after the cap was introduced, though the trading volume declined slightly. In contrast, propane sales, which became subject to a similar price cap a week earlier, fell by 13% in a single day and dropped more than twofold over the previous two weeks.

Brokers described propane trading under the price cap as a “lottery,” noting that in cases of identical price bids, liquefied gas was awarded to those whose applications were registered first by the exchange system – creating a race against time measured in fractions of a second.

In December of last year, a surge in AI-80 gasoline sales was recorded due to a sharp cold snap, which led to temporary restrictions on the operation of CNG stations.