Uzbekistan Adds 5,600 MW of Solar and Wind Capacity, Says Renewables Now Represent 30% of Electricity Mix

Uzbekistan has added 5,600 megawatts of solar and wind capacity to its national grid through partnerships with international developers. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said renewable sources now account for around 30 percent of the country’s electricity mix. Authorities plan to increase that share to 54 percent by 2030 as electricity demand continues to rise.

5 times, reaching 87 billion kilowatt-hours, Mirziyoyev said. The expansion of renewables is aimed at strengthening energy security, reducing dependence on natural gas and supporting industrial growth. International financial institutions and private developers are supporting solar, wind and electricity infrastructure projects across several regions of Uzbekistan.

One of the largest projects currently under development is a solar power plant in Samarkand backed by the Asian Development Bank. When finished, the solar plant in Samarkand will produce half a gigawatt of renewable energy.

This means it is going to be the largest in Central Asia,” Kanokpan Lao-Araya, country director for Uzbekistan at the Asian Development Bank, said. The government is investing in energy storage systems and grid modernisation projects to improve electricity transmission capacity and network stability.

Alongside energy generation, authorities are expanding digital infrastructure including artificial intelligence laboratories and large scale data centres.

Saudi Arabia’s ACWA is building a 100 percent green AI data centre in the IT park in Tashkent. “We are bringing now the AI data centre. 100% green data centre is under construction in the IT park in Tashkent,” Muhammad Abunayyan, chairman of ACWA, said.

“By the end of December or beginning of January, we will complete this project,” he added. The partnership journey between ACWA and Uzbekistan started in January 2021, and ACWA’s total investment in Uzbekistan is over 26 billion dollars. “ We started this partnership journey in January 2021, and today it spans all sectors.

Serious and committed investors will succeed. Our total investment here is over 26 billion dollars,” Abunayyan said. Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of Uzbekistan’s largest partners in the energy transition.

The Asian Development Bank has supported the government of Uzbekistan in developing Public Private Partnership frameworks and financing mechanisms to increase private sector participation in infrastructure and energy projects. Uzbekistan rose 14 places in the latest Index of Economic Freedom. The country entered the category of “moderately free” economies for the first time.

Euronews reported that foreign investment has increased in recent years, particularly in energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors.