Operations of 464 fueling stations suspended across Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The operations of 464 refueling stations and gas filling facilities have been temporarily suspended in Uzbekistan.

This decision is established in a government decree, "On measures to prevent accidents and emergencies at refueling stations and gas filling facilities, as well as to eliminate factors posing a threat to human life," which officially entered into force on 22 June 2026. The strict sanctions are based on the results of a large-scale interdepartmental inventory of active fuel hubs.

During the inspection activities, specialists audited 6,196 facilities across the republic, including traditional fuel stations, petroleum product retail points, stationary and mobile liquefied petroleum gas (propane) and compressed natural gas (methane) filling stations, and distribution points for domestic gas cylinders. In total, the auditors recorded 46,737 various defects and violations of technical regulations.

The majority of the issues were found in the area of industrial and technical safety, where controllers identified more than 25.3 thousand violations. Additionally, nearly 8 thousand deviations from fire safety rules were recorded, along with approximately 7.8 thousand failures in the organization of technological processes, 3.3 thousand violations in technical regulation, and 2.2 thousand urban planning deviations in capital construction. Inspectors achieved the prompt rectification of 7,166 deficiencies directly on-site; however, at facilities with critical threat levels, operational activity had to be completely frozen.

In addition to operational measures, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a long-term modernization schedule for the sector. Accordingly, from 1 September 2026 until 1 January 2030, a strict restriction will be introduced in the country on the operation of any equipment working under overpressure if its standard service life has expired or if documents confirming its exact date of production are missing.

Furthermore, before the autumn of this year, relevant ministries will compile a unified registry of refueling and gas filling facilities operating with violations of environmental, fire, and urban planning standards, including non-compliance with the boundaries of security zones. All fuel stations and gas filling stations included in this list as posing a direct threat to the lives and health of citizens will be dismantled in stages and forcibly relocated to safe locations.