In 2021, Uzbekistan’s energy minister said the country produces enough natural gas to meet domestic demand three times over.
But production in the gas-rich nation has been dropping for half a decade, and the reality is this: Many Uzbeks rely on coal, firewood, and animal manure to heat their homes and cook their meals, and many of the power plants feeding the electrical grid are fueled by coal.
Experts and activists have sounded the alarm about the effects on the environment: The most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, coal is a major contributor to human-caused climate change, and thousands of trees are being cut down illegally for firewood.
Citizens accuse the government of failing to offer an alternative.
The problem worsens every winter as demand for energy rises amid a chronic shortage of natural gas.
“It’s been quite cold since late November, and we’re experiencing problems with gas supplies not only in the villages but even in cities, too,” says activist Abdusalom Ergashev, who lives in the eastern city of Ferghana.
“In the downtown area where I live, the gas pressure [in the pipes] drops so low during the winter that the stove doesn’t even get warm. People are left with no choice, so they’re burning whatever they can -- coal and animal dung, and they’re felling trees, even fruit trees,” Ergashev said.
Illegal tree felling has become so widespread that the government has toughened legal punishments for the crime. Under a law that came into force in February, individuals convicted of illegal tree cutting face fines of up to 17 million soms ($1,300). Penalties are higher for government officials and companies or other entities.
Offenders must also plant 100 saplings for each tree they felled unlawfully.
Many Uzbeks, especially those living outside urban areas, say they start preparing for the winter many months in advance, storing firewood, collecting and drying domestic animals’ manure, and buying coal. In many households, even walnut shells and fruit pits are used as fuel.
The average village household burns about 1.5 tons of coal over the winter, in addition to firewood, cotton stalks, dry manure, and other fuels.
Environmental damage is not the only effect of the dark plumes of smoke billowing from chimneys in winter.
“I was driving through Ferghana, and even with my car windows closed, the smell of the evening air was suffocating,” popular vlogger Akmal Isomiddinov said in a recent video. “It’s not only happening in Ferghana. It’s the same in 90 percent of our country…. It is harmful to environment and people’s health.”
King Coal?
Relief may not come soon.
With an estimated 1.8 trillion cubic meters of proven reserves, the Central Asian nation of some 36 million people is among the world’s top 20 countries for natural gas.
But its long-exploited deposits are gradually being depleted and the reserves more difficult to drill, according to the government, which also says more modern technology is needed.
According to official statistics, in the first 10 months of 2024, Uzbekistan produced nearly 39 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas, which is 4.8 percent less than the same period last year.
In 2018, the country produced about 61.6 bcm. Production had fallen to 46.7 bcm in 2023, a 24 percent decrease over five years.
The government plans to gradually increase production by 33 percent, reaching 62 bcm -- slightly above the 2018 level -- by 2030.
In the meantime, however, the government has reportedly been urging the country to burn more coal.
Thousands of state-run schools, kindergartens, and medical facilities were ordered by authorities in 2023 to switch to from gas to coal, Uzbek media reports said.
As gas production dropped, coal production climbed steadily, according to government figures. Annual production rose from less than 4 million tons in 2016 to 6.5 million tons in 2023.
The government plans to boost coal production to 10 million tons in 2025.
As for warnings over climate change concerns, the Uzbek government says that it has been investing in green energy sources, has introduced subsidies for electric vehicles, and launched a nationwide campaign to plant 200 million trees to help clean the air.
