Uzbekneftegaz Chairman Abdugani Sanginov held talks on Oct. 20 with a delegation of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) led by General Manager Zhou Xinhuai, covering a gas field accident and wider cooperation, the Uzbek company’s press service said.

A key topic was the aftermath of the accident at the 25 Years of Independence (M-25) gas field in Baysun district, Surkhandarya province. Plans call for drilling relief wells that specialists expect will stop an uncontrolled gas release.

Sanginov said in June that CNPC subsidiary CCDC was brought in after offering the most suitable technical solution among proposals from companies in Russia, the United States and South Korea. He said drilling of four additional wells is due to begin by the end of December 2026, with the accident fully resolved in the first half of 2027.

The sides also discussed cooperation in exploration, drilling, seismic surveys, gas production efficiency, digitalization and equipment supplies. Uzbekneftegaz said total cooperation with CNPC has exceeded $1 billion but gave no breakdown, time frame or figure for funds actually spent.

They also discussed diversifying petroleum product supplies for the domestic market and said they were ready to develop long-term supply mechanisms. The statement did not specify products, volumes or terms, and no new contracts were announced. Proposals for a permanent CNPC office in Tashkent were also raised.

Gas with a high hydrogen sulfide content leaked during drilling at well 604 on Sept. 1, 2024, killing four people. Residents were evacuated, and no criminal case was reported. In March 2025, a release occurred at well 202, and the gas was set alight. M-25’s reserves are estimated at 150-170 billion cubic meters, making it one of the largest undeveloped gas fields in Uzbekistan.