Bakhtiyar Ismailov and colleagues at the Institute HYDROENGEO in Tashkent reviewed the state of Uzbekistan’s geothermal resources in a paper published in February 2024. Their headline: projected resources at accessible depths of up to 5–6 km are four to six times larger than those of hydrocarbons.
Some of that heat is already at work. At the Altynsai field in Navoi region, six wells 135–300 m deep produce low-mineralised water at 68–70 °C. The Altynsai and “Mother and Child” sanatoriums use it for balneotherapy, heating, hot water and greenhouses.
In the Bukhara–Karshi artesian basin, two aquifer complexes hold estimated thermal resources of about 555,000 Gcal a year. The authors note that this figure comes from a 1977–79 assessment with limited data, a reminder of how much new exploration is needed.
They argue that every field needs its own scheme to make the most of both the heat and the minerals in its water.
