Gazprom invests US$215m to explore Uzbek gas fields

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Russian natural gas giant Gazprom has invested over US$215 million to explore gas fields on Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt Plateau, Maksut Anderzhanov, head of the Uzbek representative office of oil and gas company Zarubezhneftegaz, told reporters Friday.

Zarubezhneftegaz is a Gazprom subsidiary.

Anderzhanov said that Gazprom had already completed the first stage of its exploration program on the plateau.

Gazprom plans to invest another US$45 million this year in gas exploration on the Ustyurt Plateau, he said.

Gazprom is exploring Uzbek fields with estimated gas reserves of about 1 trillion cubic meters, under an agreement with Uzbek state-owned oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz signed in 2006.