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Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy has confirmed that vulnerable households will not feel the full impact of a forthcoming rise in liquefied gas prices, because the state will offset most of the increase through a direct cash compensation scheme.
From 15 November 2026, the retail price of liquefied gas will rise to 5,000 soums per kilogram, inclusive of VAT. For families registered as needing social protection, however, the government will return 3,000 soums for every kilogram purchased, leaving their effective cost at 2,000 soums per kilogram — unchanged from the current level.
The compensation applies to a maximum of 20 kilograms per household per month. Under that ceiling, a family buying the full monthly allowance would pay 100,000 soums at the point of sale and receive 60,000 soums back from the state, bringing the net outlay to 40,000 soums. Any gas purchased beyond the 20-kilogram monthly limit will be charged at the full retail price with no subsidy.
The mechanism is grounded in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 602, signed on 31 October 2026, and will remain in force until 1 January 2030.
The announcement comes as Uzbekistan manages a broader restructuring of household energy tariffs. A separate measure, previously reported, sets a concessional electricity tariff covering 350 kilowatt-hours per month for eligible consumers. Together, the two schemes reflect the government’s stated approach of raising utility prices toward cost-recovery levels while protecting the lowest-income segment of the population through targeted compensation rather than blanket subsidies.
Uzbekistan has faced mounting pressure on its gas sector. Domestic output has fallen sharply over the past year as ageing fields deplete faster than new capacity comes online, forcing the country to increase imports while exports to China have collapsed. Against that backdrop, the retail price adjustment is part of a wider effort to bring consumer prices closer to market rates, with the compensation mechanism serving as the primary tool to limit the social impact on households least able to absorb higher energy costs.