ISLAMABAD, SEP 17 (DNA): A significant gas field has been discovered at a depth of 6.5 kilometres on the Ustyurt Plateau, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev revealed during a meeting with university staff, according to Kursiv Media.

Until now, Uzbekistan’s oil and gas exploration was limited to depths of 2.5 to 3 kilometres. The president stressed that this was the first time in the country’s industrial history that drilling had reached beyond six kilometres.

Mirziyoyev also underlined the growing global demand for lithium and other metals, noting that Central Asia holds an estimated 15% of the world’s reserves of tungsten, molybdenum, zinc and titanium.

«To transform these vast resources into products with high added value, we need science, knowledge and innovation above all,» the president said.

According to the National Statistics Committee, Uzbekistan produced 25.3 bn cubic metres of gas in the first seven months of this year, down 3.4% compared with the same period in 2024.

Kursiv also reports that last month, a high-pressure gas blowout at an exploration well in Muynak, Karakal Pakistan, has been successfully contained by Uzbekneftgaz.