TASHKENT

Uzbekistan intends to announce tenders to construct solar photovoltaic stations (PVPs) with a total capacity of 400 megawatts (MW) in the Kashkadarya and Fergana regions in 2022 with the consulting support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

According to the ADB, its Second Solar Power Project for Uzbekistan aims to reinforce the country’s position as Central Asia’s emerging solar hub by using modern technologies for large-scale on-grid photovoltaic plants, increasing access to reliable and clean electricity in rural areas, and preparing the solar sector for private sector investments.

The ADB technical consultants are conducting survey work on suitable sites and preparing project documents for the announcement of the tender, Uzbekistan’s Energy Ministry said.

Also, in 2022 Uzbekistan will hold a tender for the country’s second 200 MW wind power plant with the consulting support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) within the framework of the Karatau wind-2 project.

The EBRD consultants are working on measuring the wind potential at a suitable site in Karakalpakstan, northwestern region of Uzbekistan, and project documents are being prepared for the announcement of a tender, the ministry said.

Tenders will be held in two stages, a request for qualification of interested potential investors and the submission of competitive (price) bids by participants who have passed the first stage of the tender.

In September, Saudi Arabia-based energy company ACWA Power won the tender on a 100-megawatt wind power plant to be constructed in Koraruzak region of Karakalpakstan, offering the lowest tariff of 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour of generated electricity, and early this month it has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Uzbekistan’s government.

Currently, other tenders for the construction of solar photovoltaic stations with a total capacity of 500 MW in the Bukhara, Namangan and Khorezm regions are underway. The first stage bids were held from August to November with the consulting support of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Uzbek authorities are currently reviewing the documents of 15 companies that have applied for qualifications.

Uzbekistan plans to bring the share of alternative energy sources in the total energy balance of the country to 25 percent, which in turn will reduce its energy dependence on gas and coal.

The country hopes to increase its photovoltaic solar plant capacity from the current forecast of 5 gigawatts to 7 gigawatts and wind power generation from 3 gigawatts to 5 gigawatts, according to its updated energy development concept.

Over the next five years, an additional 11,500 megawatts of new capacities will be commissioned in 19 projects worth $6.5 billion. By 2030, the share of renewable sources in the structure of electricity generation will exceed 30 percent.