The Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), announces the launch of the first pilot public-private partnership project to build a solar power station in the Sherabad district of the Surkhandarya region.
This project is part of the program developed by the Government of Uzbekistan with the support of the Asian Development Bank for the generation of 1GW of solar energy.
Mr Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan, said: "Thanks to the ADB and other partners, we are happy to announce the start of this exciting project - the first step along the road to new, sustainable and clean energy production for the future of our new generations. Solar power has long been on our radar and we look forward to the time when we reach our target of 1GW of electricity produced this way. This will also ensure the creation of highly-skilled and local clean energy jobs in line with the government program for energy diversification."
On 01 February 2020 a year-long tender was launched aimed at attracting and selecting a qualified private developer-investor for the implementation of the project.
According to the project parameters, a solar station with a capacity of at least 200 MW of alternating current will be built at the selected site, including a new substation with a voltage of 220 kV and a transmission line with a length of 52 km for connecting to a substation with a voltage of 220.
Mr Sardor Umurzakov, Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan said: "Solar energy as a source of electric power has entered a new phase worldwide, with an over 100% solar market increase in 2019, and a record number of new installations targeted over the next few years. We in Uzbekistan are very happy to join the international community of solar power generators. It is the ideal moment to announce this tender and seek investors and developers of solar technologies by putting in place a comprehensive industrial strategy in this sector."
Background
1) ADB assists the Government of Uzbekistan in implementing reforms in the energy sector, including research into developing solar energy in Uzbekistan. To this end with the help of the Bank a Solar Energy Institute was opened in 2013, the Solar Energy Development Roadmap took off in 2014 and a number of studies on assessment of Uzbekistan's solar energy potential were launched.
2) The Government of Uzbekistan invites interested parties to submit an expression of interest (OT) in accordance with the requirements specified in the request for OT, which can be found on the websites of the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and the Agency for the Development of Public-Private Partnerships under the Ministry of Finance. The deadline for submission of the OT is February 22, 2020.
Contact:
Sabina Sagadeeva
press@minenergy.uz
