On March 15, representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) participated in the opening of a Modern Communications Room at the Ministry of Innovative Development of Uzbekistan. This venue, established with support from USAID, will serve as a meeting space for both virtual and in-person conferences, workshops, and other occasions, U.S. Embassy Tashkent reported.

“This Modern Communications Room supports crucial work being performed by our Uzbek and regional partners to modernize the energy sector and meet the country’s ambitious clean energy goals, and will strengthen the partnership between the U.S. Government and Uzbekistan to increase the country’s energy security,” said Scott Hedlund, USAID Uzbekistan Economic Growth Office Director.

By 2030, Uzbekistan’s clean energy plan aims to increase the share of renewables to 25 percent of the energy mix. In 10 years, the Government plans to commission 5,000 megawatts (MW) of new solar capacity and 3,000 MW in wind power plants.

USAID has partnered with the Government of Uzbekistan to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the impact of planned renewable energy development on the power grid. The study is being carried out by a working group involving key energy stakeholders, including the Ministries of Energy and Innovative Development, National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan, and a regional Coordinating Dispatch Center “Energiya”.

New computers and modeling software provided by USAID will allow the working group to efficiently perform energy system simulations, connect with international experts, and participate in online workshops.

To date, USAID’s Power the Future activity has provided extensive technical assistance and training to Uzbekistan and counterparts engaged with the renewable energy impact study. Since May 2020, it conducted over 125 virtual working sessions and trained more than 75 Uzbek specialists in topics related to renewable energy generation and grid integration.