Uzbekistan, Tashkent, April 21 / Trend D.Azizov /
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Directors approved a loan worth $350 million for a project to modernize the Talimarjan Thermal Power Plant (TPP) in the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan, the bank reported.
The funds are a package of two loans. Credit in the amount of $ 340 million will be allocated from the bank's ordinary resources for 25 years, including a five-year grace period under the bank's standard preferential rate based on a LIBOR rate.
The ADB will allocate credit of $10 million to the Uzbek government from its resources.
The loan agreement will be signed during the annual meeting between the banks' directors scheduled for early May in Tashkent.
The project, worth about $1.28 billion, covers the period up to 2014 and stipulates upgrading thermal power plants, reconstructing the high-voltage 500 kV Talimardjan TPP-Sogdiana Substation, as well as building a new 500 kV Talimarjan-TPP substation. The project will run to late 2013.
The ADB loan will be involved in the construction of two combined cycle power plants (CCPP) with a total capacity of 800 MW and a cost of about $ 800 million.
The construction of the infrastructure is expected to be financed at the expense of loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency ($290 million) and World Bank ($125 million).
In 2004, Uzbekenergo put into operation the first Talimarjan TPP unit with a design capacity of 800 MW. The total construction cost was approximately $400 million.
The construction was financed through commercial credit from the British Ansol Ltd. and the equity of Uzbekenergo.
Presently, specific fuel consumption by the TPP is 314 g / kWh with a capacity of 800 MW and a power generation of 4.6 billion kWh per year.
After the modernization, TPP's capacity will increase to 1,600 MW and its power generation to 9.8 billion kWh per year. The annual fuel consumption will be 263 g / kWh.
The modernization of the Talimarjan TPP will also eliminate the electrical power shortages in the Samarkand and Bukhara regions and create a reserve capacity to supply electricity to export markets, including Afghanistan.
In 2009-2014, Uzbekistan plans to attract $ 3.5 billion investment for power development.
Presently, Uzbekistan has 42 power plants with a total capacity of 12,358 MW, including a total capacity of 16 Uzbekenergo power plants of 12,040 MW.
The remaining electricity was generated by an autonomous thermal power industry and small hydroelectric power station lf the Agriculture and Water Resources Ministry. The potential electricity production is 56-57 billion kWh.
Based on official statistics, Uzbekistan decreased power generation by 0.3 percent in 2009 to 49.954 billion kWh.
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