ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Uzbekistan has announced it will withdraw from the unified Central Asian power grid that links four Soviet nations in the region, prompting concerns of deepening electricity shortages among neighboring countries.

Top Uzbekenergo official Esso Sadullayev said the grid has become a source of conflict between participating countries. His comments were published Thursday in a state newspaper.

Uzbekistan acts as a transit point for electricity supplies between energy-rich Kazakhstan and power-starved Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Countries in the region are highly dependent on one another's power and water supplies, but have failed to reach any consensus on how to share their resources.