As the press service of the head of state reports, to meet the growing needs of the population and the economy in electricity, a number of energy facilities are being built in the country. In particular, much attention is paid to the use of solar energy, which plays an important role in the current conditions of limited traditional energy resources.

So, this year, Masdar of the United Arab Emirates and Total Eren of France in Navoi and Samarkand regions will put into operation photovoltaic stations with a capacity of 100 megawatts each. At the same time, a tender was announced for the construction of a solar photovoltaic station in the Sherabad district. The Asian Development Bank provided technical and financial advice for the tender.

More than 50 companies have expressed their interest in implementing the project. After a two-stage competition, Masdar won with the lowest tariff. As part of the project, the company will build a solar photovoltaic station with a capacity of 457 MW in the Sherabad district. A new 220 kW substation and a 52-kilometer transmission line will also be erected to connect to the Surkhon substation.

The implementation of the project will save 340 million cubic meters of natural gas per year, and 300 thousand households will be provided with electricity. The launch of this large facility is scheduled for August 2023.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted at the ceremony the work carried out in the country to build an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly economy.

“The emergence of an opportunity to purchase electricity at a cost of 1.8 cents per kilowatt-hour is a very great success for the economy of our republic and an important factor in ensuring the well-being of the population. In general, the construction of this station, the energy it generates and the new infrastructure will give a powerful impetus to the comprehensive development of the region,” Mirziyoyev said.

The President then laid a foundation stone to start the photovoltaic plant construction. The ceremony was attended by local residents. Also, Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank Ashok Lavasa and the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE Suhail Al- Mazroui participated via videoconferencing.

This project is part of the program for the construction of solar photovoltaic plants with a total capacity of 1 GW, implemented by the government of Uzbekistan with the support of the Asian Development Bank.

It is planned to build solar stations with a capacity of 200 megawatts in Samarkand and Jizzakh regions, wind farms (100 megawatts) in the Beruniy and Karauzyak districts of Karakalpakstan, as well as another 3 wind farms with a total capacity of 1.5 thousand megawatts in Bukhara and Navoi.

It should be recalled that Uzbekistan has set a goal to increase the capacity of solar power plants up to 5 thousand, wind power plants – up to 3 thousand, hydroelectric power plants – up to 4 thousand megawatts by 2030.