BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 28. Karakalpakstan has started construction of a $2.6 billion, 1.5-gigawatt wind power project in Uzbekistan’s Kungrad district.
This was stated by the press secretary of the Uzbek president, Sherzod Asadov, on his Telegram channel, following a meeting on the next priorities of the integrated development of Karakalpakstan, attended by the Uzbek president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
"The region’s electricity production has quadrupled to 5.33 billion kilowatt-hours, nearly three times the annual electricity demand of households and businesses," the publication said.
The expansion is being driven in part by new wind power facilities in Beruniy and Karauzak districts. Karakalpakstan is now moving to further increase its renewable generation capacity as part of a broader investment program.
Construction has started on 47 new projects worth $7 billion, including a $2.6 billion wind power plant with a capacity of 1.5 gigawatts in Kungrad district.
The project will also include the construction of 1,500 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines and three 500-kilovolt substations, supporting the integration of new generation capacity into the regional power system.
According to Trend’s calculations, the new Kungrad wind project represents about 43% of the total $7 billion investment announced for the 47 projects. Its 1.5 GW capacity would account for nearly half of the 3.3 GW of new wind capacity planned for Karakalpakstan by 2030.
By 2030, the region plans to commission wind power plants with a combined capacity of 3.3 GW, increase the share of "green" energy to 76% and develop 400 MW of energy storage capacity.
The government expects Karakalpakstan to become one of the region’s largest centers for renewable energy production as new generation, transmission infrastructure, and storage capacity are developed.
