Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Aug.12 / Trend, D. Azizov /
The Uzbek government instructed the Uzbekenergo state joint-stock company to develop a national concept of renewable energy use, with the widespread use of alternative energy sources in daily life, using foreign experience by late this year.
According to the Uzbek Center for Economic Research (CER), 97 percent of oil and gas is in the country's primary fuel and energy resources, 2.3 percent is in coal, and 0.7 percent in hydropower.
Preservation of resource volumes, as well as volumes of natural gas and coal reserves in Uzbekistan, under current trends and consumption would yield only 20-30 more years of supplies; oil reserves have already run out.
The share of renewable energy use in Uzbekistan does not exceed one percent, though Uzbekistan has great potential for this. According to national experts, renewable energy potential in Uzbekistan is about 51 billion tons in oil equivalents, with technical potential of 17.982 billion tons in oil equivalents.
Hydropower potential is 9.2 million tons in oil equivalents, including the major rivers - 8 million tons in oil equivalents, small rivers, reservoirs and canals - 1.2 million tons, solar energy - 50.973 billion tons in oil equivalent, wind energy - 2.2 million tons, and geothermal water - 0.2 million tons.
Currently existing technology enables obtaining energy that would yield 179 million tons in oil equivalents - this would be three times more than the current annual production of primary energy resources and will prevent emissions of 447 million tons of carbon dioxide, sulfur compounds, nitrogen oxide, and other substances.
It is estimated that total additional annual benefits, at the expense of renewable energy developments, are estimated at around $5 billion.
According to official statistics, in 2010 liquid hydrocarbon production in Uzbekistan decreased by 17.9 percent compared to 2009, and hit 3.662 million tons, including gas condensate production, which fell by 22.5 percent to 1.644 million tons, oil - 13.5 percent to 2.018 million tons. Natural gas production fell by 2.1 percent to 60.112 billion cubic meters. Power production increased by 3.5 percent last year and reached 51.712 billion kWh.