Uzbekistan's oil and condensate output falls 10% as refineries raise fuel production

Liquids output down 10% in eight months

Uzbekistan produced 1,073,300 tonnes of crude oil and gas condensate in January-August 2026, down from 1,195,000 tonnes in the same period of 2025, a fall of 10%. The figures come from the country's National Statistics Committee and were reported by Reuters on 1 October. They show liquids production continuing to decline at a time when domestic refineries are increasing output of motor fuels.

The two components of the total moved very differently. Crude oil output slipped 2% to 425,000 tonnes from 434,500 tonnes, while gas condensate fell 15% to 648,300 tonnes from 760,500 tonnes. Condensate therefore accounts for almost the entire decline: of the 121,700 tonnes lost year on year, 112,200 tonnes came from condensate. Because condensate is recovered alongside natural gas rather than from dedicated oil wells, its trajectory is tied directly to the performance of Uzbekistan's gas fields.

Gas and coal decline faster than oil

Natural gas production fell 16% over the eight months, to 24.2 billion cubic metres from 28.9 billion cubic metres a year earlier. That is the steepest percentage drop among the categories reported by the statistics committee, and the loss of 4.7 billion cubic metres is the largest absolute decline in the dataset. It is also the constraint sitting directly behind the condensate numbers.

Coal output fell 10% to 4.04 million tonnes from 4.9 million tonnes, a loss of 860,000 tonnes. Taken together, the oil, condensate, gas and coal figures point to a broad contraction across Uzbekistan's domestic primary energy supply in the first eight months of 2026, with every resource category lower than a year earlier.

Refineries raise fuel output and lean on imported crude

Refined product volumes moved in the opposite direction. Diesel output rose 6% to 834,300 tonnes from 786,600 tonnes, and motor gasoline rose 5% to 811,300 tonnes from 775,700 tonnes. Combined motor fuel production reached 1,645,600 tonnes in January-August 2026, against 1,562,300 tonnes a year earlier, an increase of 83,300 tonnes.

That combined fuel total exceeds the country's own liquids production for the same period by more than 570,000 tonnes. Uzbekistan is increasing imports of crude feedstock from Russia and Kazakhstan in order to raise refined product output and supply the domestic market, Reuters reported.

• Crude oil: 425,000 tonnes, down 2% from 434,500 tonnes
• Gas condensate: 648,300 tonnes, down 15% from 760,500 tonnes
• Oil and condensate combined: 1,073,300 tonnes, down 10% from 1,195,000 tonnes
• Natural gas: 24.2 billion cubic metres, down 16% from 28.9 billion cubic metres
• Coal: 4.04 million tonnes, down 10% from 4.9 million tonnes
• Diesel: 834,300 tonnes, up 6%; motor gasoline: 811,300 tonnes, up 5%

What it means for regional feedstock flows

For refiners in Uzbekistan the arithmetic is straightforward: every tonne of domestic condensate that disappears has to be replaced with purchased crude if fuel output is to keep rising. The 10% fall in liquids production and the 5-6% rise in motor fuel output push the feedstock requirement in the same direction at the same time. The 10% drop in coal output removes another domestic supply option in the same period.

For suppliers in Russia and Kazakhstan, Uzbek refineries represent incremental demand for crude that is linked to a domestic fuel market rather than to re-export. The statistics committee data cover production only; they do not break out import volumes, suppliers' shares or purchase prices, and Reuters did not report figures for the crude bought from either country. Those volumes remain the main unknown in assessing how much further Uzbekistan's refining runs can rise against a shrinking domestic resource base.