BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 21
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
The construction of three hydropower plants on the Aksu River in Uzbekistan will increase an annual green power production volume by 97.5 million kWh, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Sabina Bekmurodova told Trend.
On August 21, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution “On measures to implement an investment project for the construction of the Rabat hydroelectric and Chappasuyskaya hydroelectric power stations on the Aksu River and the Tamshush hydroelectric power station on the Akdarya-Aksu River”.
Currently, a tender is being held to select a general contractor for the construction of three HPPs on the Aksu River.
“The Ministry of Energy is taking active measures to implement large-scale projects in renewable energy and the last twelve months has seen a variety of committed FDI (foreign direct investment) from international companies, tenders, and collaborations with international partners,” said Bekmurodova.
One such project is a ten-year program to build 5,000 MW of solar power and 3,000 MW of wind power plants. FDI investors are currently being selected by the Ministry of Energy to implement these projects. Assistance is provided by international institutions such as World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Agreements were signed with ACWA Power Company developing and investing in renewable energy and water treatment projects in Saudi Arabia. Three agreements worth over $2 billion to construct a 500-1,000 MW wind power plant and a 1,500 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant.
The agreement was also signed with Masdar Clean Energy, a leader in renewable energy and sustainable urban development in the UAE, for the construction of a 500 MW wind power plant in the Navoiy Region, as well as with Total Eren Independent Power Producer in France for construction of a 100 MW solar power station in the Samarkand region.
EBRD also assists the Government of Uzbekistan in developing 1,000 MW of wind energy projects. Tender for a project in Karakalpakstan will be announced soon.
Additionally, a program was developed by the Government of Uzbekistan with the support of the Asian Development Bank for the generation of 1GW of solar energy.
“The first pilot project was developed in February 2020 on the construction of 200 MW solar power plant in the Surkhandarya region. Some 54 companies submitted applications for the tender, including international companies tendering for the first time,” noted the press secretary.
The first stage of the international tender for the construction of a 100 MW solar power plant in the Navoiy region is completed. The tender was attended by a global array of companies and won by Masdar Clean Energy.
The second phase of tenders for the Scaling solar II project involves the construction of solar power plants on a PPP basis (public-private partnership), led by the Ministry of Energy with assistance from the International Finance Corporation.
Furthermore, the second tender has been announced for the construction of two 200 MW solar power plants in the Samarkand and Jizzakh regions of Uzbekistan.
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