Uzbekistan Environment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Construction of Gas Chemical Complex, Solar Plant and Airport begins in Bukhara

On May 31, construction began on three large facilities in Uzbekistan’s Bukhara region. Officially launched by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the ambitious development comprises a gas chemical complex, a solar power plant, and an international airport. The gas chemical complex, to be built in the Karakul free economic zone, is the first plant in the country to employ methanol- to- olefins (MTO) technology. The project aims to attract some $5 billion in investments and advanced technologies from the USA, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Italy, and China. Once completed, the complex will process 1.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 430 thousand tons of naphtha per year and manufacture 1.1 million tons of polymer products, in high demand by both domestic and global markets. Two thousand new jobs will be created. The second facility, a 250-megawatt solar power plant to be built by Masdar from the United Arab Emirates, will be connected to the unified energy grid in December 2025. The third initiative is a new international airport which will be much welcomed by the ever-increasing volume of foreign tourists visiting Uzbekistan. In 2023 alone, some 1.4 million tourists flew into Bukhara. Built through private partnership at a cost of $226 million, the airport will have the capacity to process 1.2 thousand passengers per hour. Designed to meet international standards, the airport will both improve the quality of service and help attract more international airlines to Bukhara.

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Chinese Company to Build Solar Power Plant in Uzbekistan’s Tashkent Region

China Datang Overseas Investment Co. Ltd is poised to construct a solar photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 263 MW in the Buka district of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The project was approved by a Resolution of the President of Uzbekistan, dated 24 May, 2024. To secure its implementation, the Chinese company aims to attract $150 million in foreign investment and the National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan has guaranteed to purchase electrical energy generated by the new power plant for 25 years. According to the resolution, the main objectives of the new solar plant are to ensure a stable supply of electricity to both the local population and economic sectors, reduce natural gas consumption in electricity generation, and attract foreign investment in expanding the use of renewable energy sources in Uzbekistan.

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Uzbekistan to Establish Atomic Energy Agency

Uzbekistan is to establish an new Atomic Energy Development Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers; raising the level of the agency which currently exists as a subdivision of the Ministry of Energy. The move supports plans for the construction of Uzbekistan’s first-ever nuclear power plant and aligns with the Presidential Decree “On measures to improve the system of public administration and control in the field of subsoil use, industrial, radiation and nuclear safety, as well as the use of atomic energy,” adopted on 24 May. Once in operation, the new Atomic Energy Agency will be responsible for state policy in the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. The presidential decree also includes the establishment of a Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety conducted by the Cabinet of Ministers. As a national executive body, the committee will be charged with the implementation and coordination of a unified state policy to oversee and ensure safety measures at nuclear energy and nuclear technology facilities and at hazardous production facilities.

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World Bank Helps Improve Social Services for Vulnerable People in Uzbekistan

On 24 May, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $100 million concessional loan for an Innovative Social Protection System for Inclusion of Vulnerable People Project to improve access to, and the quality of social services for vulnerable people in Uzbekistan. The project is co-financed by a $2 million grant from the Early Learning Partnership; a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank to support vulnerable children’s development and learning. The grant will be used to evaluate and improve social services’ provision for the well-being of vulnerable children in Uzbekistan’s local communities or ‘mahallas.’ Welcoming the government’s commitment to broadening the nation’s social protection system and provide more inclusive and effective support to vulnerable people, Marco Mantovanelli, World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan, commented: “This project will help build the legal and institutional foundations of the care economy. It will also expand access to quality on-demand social services that are currently underprovided to thousands of vulnerable people across the country, including older people, persons with disabilities, survivors of gender-based violence, and vulnerable children.” The project will be implemented by the National Social Protection Agency through the Office of the President of Uzbekistan, in close collaboration with various government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and Uzbekistan’s international development partners. Over 50 community-based territorial social service centers (TSSCs) will be established across the country to improve access to enhanced social care and rehabilitation facilities for over 50,000 vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and vulnerable children. The project will also create a platform for a regulated and accredited provision of social services from the private sector and by encouraging external investment, reduce the strain on the state’s institutional-based care and welfare system. Once in operation, the project will equip 1,200 people with disabilities, at least half whom are aged 15-24, with professional skills and employment opportunities. Women will also benefit from legal, health and psychological services offered by the establishment of 29 Women Adaptation and Rehabilitation Centers. Last but not least, the initiative will lay the foundations for shock-responsive social protection in Uzbekistan, including the development of policies, emergency procedures and the piloting of a new climate adaptation program. Serving 100,000 impoverished people living in rural communities, the program is designed to increase awareness of climate-related risks and improve communities’ resilience through the provision of seeds for climate-resistant crops, tools, and training in climate-smart agriculture and climate adaptation practices.

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Uzbekistan to Build Central Asia’s First Solar Plant with Battery Energy Storage System

On 21 May, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar) signed off a $46.5 million loan for the construction of greenfield solar power plant and battery energy storage system (BESS) in Uzbekistan’s Bukhara region. The Nur Bukhara plant will be Central Asia's first renewable power facility with utility-scale battery storage. ADB reported that a further $26.5 million has been secured from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Loans for the realization of the project have also been agreed by the International Finance Corporation, the Canada–IFC Blended Climate Finance Program and the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank. The new facility, with a capacity to generate 250 megawatts and store 126 megawatt-hours of energy, will include the construction of a 20-kilovolt substation and a 3.1-kilometer transmission line to connect to the grid. Set to deliver 555 gigawatt-hours of clean energy per annum, the plant will provide power for some 55,000 households. By enabling electricity to be stored and delivered on demand, BESS will reduce grid instability, and provide the flexibility to integrate intermittent solar resources. Generated power will be sold exclusively to the National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan. Commending the project, Masdar Director of Corporate Finance and Treasury Bruce Johnson commented: "Masdar is proud to be a key partner in Uzbekistan's clean energy journey. We are strong supporters of the country’s ambitious renewable energy targets, alongside key partners including ADB. Projects like Nur Bukhara will enhance the affordability and accessibility of reliable, clean energy for all Uzbek citizens and drive private sector growth." To meet the increasing demand for energy from Uzbekistan’s economy and growing population, the government aims to increase renewable energy generation by up to 25 GW, equivalent to 40 percent of the country’s overall electricity consumption, by 2030.

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Kazakhstan Secures Almost Billion Cubic Meters of Irrigation Water from Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan is set to receive 922 million cubic meters of water from Uzbekistan via the Dostyk interstate canal during this year's irrigation season. According to a report issued by the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation on 13 May, the matter was determined in an Agreement by the Interstate Water Coordination Commission of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, the parties formally approved the joint operation of the Naryn-Syr Darya cascade of reservoirs scheduled until 30 September. It was announced that the Shardara reservoir in the Turkestan region of southern Kazakhstan currently holds 4.8 billion cubic meters of water. The Toktogul reservoir on the Naryn river in upstream Kyrgyzstan, which releases water for irrigating fields in the south, has so far amassed 8 billion cubic meters of water. During the meeting, a draft agreement was also created ‘On the creation of a mechanism for water and energy cooperation between the countries of Central Asia.’ Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov commented, “Our priority now, is to collect and send flood water to the Caspian Sea, Lake Balkhash, Kamysh-Samar lakes, and from the Ulytau region to lakes in the Kyzylorda region. But it is also important to provide water to the southern regions of Kazakhstan. And in this matter, water diplomacy is very important.”