Long queues have been forming at gas stations in Uralsk for several days.
According to the publication “My City”, local drivers believe the reason is a gas shortage.
“It’s the same every time, some stations have no gas, and here we are, the whole city queuing at the same filling stations”, the report states.
For its part, the West Kazakhstan Region Energy Department claims there is no shortage of liquefied gas, and the queues are forming due to restrictions on the sale of subsidised gas.
According to the head of the West Kazakhstan Region Energy and Housing and Utilities Department, Miras Mulkay, this happens towards the end of almost every quarter, when subsidised gas runs out at some stations.
“We are addressing this issue through the Ministry of Energy. But from 1 October, we will fully switch to gas from ‘Zhaikmunai’ from the Rozhkovskoye field. At the end of last year, there was an opening; they have their own gas processing plant, which will meet the region’s demand for liquefied automotive gas”, Mulkay said.
He noted that, among other things, the reasons for the queues at petrol stations and the gas shortage include the growing number of vehicles with gas cylinder equipment and the low cost of liquefied gas.