Photo: minenergy.uz
Uzbekistan plans to attract $4 billion in investments over the next five years to develop its energy infrastructure and implement digital management systems. This was discussed at a meeting on the country’s energy development strategy through 2035, which took place on January 28 with the participation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Mirziyoyev noted that over the past eight years, electricity production in Uzbekistan has increased by 38%, reaching 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Opening the sector to private investment has led to the creation of an additional 11.2 GW of capacity, increasing the private sector’s share in power generation to 24% and the share of renewable energy to 16%.
With the country’s population expected to grow to 41 million by 2030 and the economy projected to expand 1.5 times, Uzbekistan aims to generate $45 billion in industrial added value. To ensure a stable energy supply, the country will need 117 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity by 2030 and 135 billion by 2035.
New power plants and energy storage facilities will be built, along with 7,000 km of transmission networks and digital management systems to balance regional energy distribution and transfer additional capacity when needed.
Reducing electricity production costs is a key priority, which the government plans to achieve by increasing the use of alternative energy sources. Currently, the cost of generating one kilowatt-hour at thermal power plants is $0.05–$0.06, while solar and wind power costs an average of $0.03 per kilowatt-hour. As a result, Uzbekistan aims to increase the share of renewable energy to more than 50% of total generation by 2030. The country plans to commission 3,000 micro-hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 164 MW, as well as small solar and wind power stations with a total capacity of 750 MW.
«The president has also instructed us to develop a program for installing solar panels and solar water heaters on at least 50% of residential and commercial rooftops,» Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov said.
To encourage households and businesses to adopt solar energy solutions, the government will allocate 2 trillion Uzbek soms ($154 million) in preferential loans.
At a separate meeting on January 27, President Mirziyoyev called for accelerated development of industries with low energy consumption and high added value, such as electrical engineering, automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and food production. He emphasized the need to implement a resource-efficient economic model, develop additional 1 GW projects, and continue incentivizing solar panel installation at state-owned enterprises and private homes.
