Kazakhstan's QazaqGaz signs gas cooperation memorandum with Gazprom Kyrgyzstan

ASTANA. Oct 12 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's state gas company QazaqGaz and Gazprom Kyrgyzstan , a wholly owned subsidiary of Russia's Gazprom that supplies and sells natural gas in Kyrgyzstan, have signed a memorandum to share expertise on gas transportation, distribution and metering and on running gas infrastructure, QazaqGaz's press office said.

The memorandum also covers measures to make pipelines and distribution networks more reliable and safe, and to improve technical processes, digitalization and dispatch control.

"The memorandum opens up additional opportunities for practical cooperation between our companies," QazaqGaz Management Board Chairman Alibek Zhamauov said in the press release. "Sharing experience and advanced technical solutions will help us improve production processes and make gas infrastructure safer and more reliable."

The two sides plan to exchange visits by specialists at operating sites and to hold technical consultations, joint working meetings and training sessions. They will also share experience in preventing and handling emergencies.

The memorandum was signed at a meeting of the Joint Coordination Council between Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry and Russia's Gazprom. The council's third meeting took place on October 9, in Bishkek.

In June, QazaqGaz and Gazprom Export signed an agreement on additional Russian gas supplies to Kazakhstan in 2026. QazaqGaz will buy 6 billion cubic meters of gas this year at a fixed price, paid in Russian rubles.

Gazprom supplies gas to consumers in Kazakhstan's West Kazakhstan, Kostanay and Aktobe regions, and deliveries are rising to meet growing demand. Authorities are also studying the gasification of northern Kazakhstan.

In summer 2024, Gazprom signed contracts with Kazakhstan for the transit of gas to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from 2025 to 2040. They include expanding a dedicated route on the Central Asia-Center pipeline system, along with other projects to increase pipeline capacity in Kazakhstan.

QazaqGaz represents the state in Kazakhstan's domestic and foreign gas markets. It is part of the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund and operates the country's trunk pipelines and distribution networks.