Kazakhstan weighs oil exports to Uzbekistan as energy demand surges

Kazakhstan is exploring the possibility of exporting its own crude oil and petroleum products to Uzbekistan, the country's energy minister said on the sidelines of the RES 2026 regional environmental summit in Astana.

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Speaking to reporters, Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov said that beyond the existing transit of Russian oil and gas to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan is prepared to supply its neighbor with domestically produced crude and refined products. The matter is currently being worked through, he said, with both sides also in discussions about joint projects in petrochemicals and the modernization of oil refining capacity.

The timing is telling. Uzbekistan's appetite for imported energy has been growing sharply. According to the country's Customs Committee, imports of oil and petroleum products jumped 42.2% in the first quarter of 2026, reaching $449.1 million – up from $315.9 million in the same period a year earlier. Petrol imports more than doubled over the same stretch, hitting 428.2 million liters, while diesel imports climbed 38% to 125,500 tons.

The potential deal would add a new dimension to energy ties between the two Central Asian neighbors. Russia has also been a factor in the equation: Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin previously confirmed that Moscow and Tashkent had agreed to continue oil and gas deliveries with increased volumes.