ACWA Power, a Saudi Arabia based power producer plans to build two wind farms and a thermal plant under a $2.5 billion public-private partnership in Uzbekistan. These are a part of the Uzbek government’s plans to build nine new electric power plants this year, including four thermal power plants and two wind farms.
The Uzbek government has signed two agreements with ACWA Power to build two wind farms in Navoiy and Bukhara, two regions located in Uzbekistan’s center-west. The projects will have a combined capacity of 1 GW and will require an investment of about $1.3 billion. The projects will consist of approximately 200 wind turbines. They will contribute one third of Uzbekistan’s 3GW wind energy targets, supplying 2.7 million households and supports the government’s aims to have 30 percent of its power capacity from renewable sources by 2030. The projects are expected to help meet Uzbekistan’s power demand, which is expected to reach 110 billion kWh by 2030.
As per its recent energy sector reforms, ACWA’s plans are in sync with Uzbekistan’s national mandate to increase energy efficiency, introduce energy-saving technologies, and develop and implement renewable energy sources. Uzbekistan’s electricity grid currently includes 48 stations with a combined capacity of 12.4 GW. This includes 10.6 GW supplied by 10 thermal power plants, and the remaining part comes from hydroelectric power plants and autonomous thermal power plants of industrial facilities.
There has also been a focus on development of solar power in Uzbekistan. Recently, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy also announced plans to launch a new solar tender in early 2021. Additionally, the Asian Development Bank also signed a deal to provide loans of up to $175 million for the development of a 100 MW solar project in the country. In December 2020, the Ministry of Energy, Uzbekistan has shortlisted 11 bidders under the final phase of a tender for a 200 MW solar park.
