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Problems and Solutions: Uzbekistan Presents National Report on the State of the Environment

The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan has presented its National Report on the State of the Environment. (https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/uzbekistan-state-of-the-environment-ru.pdf) Prepared with the support of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Europe, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), the document provides a comprehensive overview of the environment, current trends, relevant policy priorities, strategies and other documents aimed at outlining a plan of measures to address environmental problems. According to the report, water scarcity is one of the most acute problems facing Uzbekistan today. The cause is attributed to the country's growing population and consumption coupled with the impact of climate change. Over the past 50-60 years, glaciers in the Pskem River basin have diminished by 24%; in the Surkhandarya River basin, by 40%, and in the Kashkadarya basin by 70%. Scientists have now forecast that in the coming decades, the flow of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers may decrease by 5-15%; a fate which will aggravate water shortages in both Uzbekistan and across neighbouring regions. To prevent such consequences, recommendations have been made to increase fines and taxes for the use and pollution of water resources, invest in the latest treatment systems, and adopt innovative irrigation systems in agriculture. The Aral Sea and its environs, declared a zone of permanent ecological disaster, deserves special attention. Another key problem highlighted in the report concerns air pollution caused by the growing number of cars, poor fuel quality, an increase in industrial enterprises and the use of coal. Proposed measures to improve air quality include switching to electric transport, installing purification plants and filters in factories, increasing green spaces and decarbonizing the economy. In addition to data on existing environmental problems, the report describes successful solutions realised by Uzbekistan in recent years. Due to the reforms, the country has managed to significantly increase life expectancy and reduce the spread of infectious diseases. In 2021, life expectancy had risen to 73.8 years, compared to 70.8 years in 2000. In 2021, maternal mortality rate fell to 14.4 per 100,000 live births, compared to 21.4 in 2000. The mortality rate for infants under one year old fell to 6.4 in 2021 from 17.3 in 2000, and that of children under 5, decreased to 12.3 from 28.5 over the same period. Today, Uzbekistan boasts 14 international conventions and over 20 protocols, agreements and memoranda of understanding in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development. The country has updated and strengthened its commitments on greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement up to 2030. The Ministry of Ecology is in the process of implementing 31 international grant projects totalling more than $100 million and in the future, will instigate eight international projects worth $40 million.

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Centre for Environmental Diagnostics of Vehicles Opens in Tashkent

On March 5th, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited a new centre for environmental diagnostics of motor vehicles in Tashkent. Environmental issues have become a major concern in Uzbek’s capital city, especially air pollution caused by harmful emissions from traffic. In a measure to stall the sharp increase in air pollution, the centre first assesses the level of harmful substances emitted by motor vehicles and depending on results, attaches color-coded stickers with chips to vehicles’ windshields. Plans are in place to divide the city's territory into several ecological zones. Entry will be limited in accordance with the level of pollutants emitted by vehicles, identified by their red, yellow, or green stickers. Drivers of vehicles that violate the rules will be automatically fined and the resulting revenue, invested in incentives to further improve the environment. The government plans to expand the initiative by installing some 100 automatic air monitoring stations and creating 84 registration and diagnostic centres for vehicles across the country. In a move towards tackling air pollution, the government will also encourage the purchase of greener, electric vehicles by reducing the fee for state license plates.

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USAID Supports Uzbekistan’s First Green Hydrogen Hub

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan on February 29th, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is set to introduce a new initiative to support Uzbekistan’s clean energy objectives. Under Uzbekistan’s “Strategy for the Development of Renewable and Hydrogen Energy,” the region has a target to increase its generation of renewable energy (solar, wind, and hydro) by 25 percent by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050. To support the government’s goals and with the collaboration of the Uzbek Ministry of Energy and energy sector stakeholders, USAID has announced the launch a Green Hydrogen Hub. Edward Michalski, Acting Director of USAID Mission to Uzbekistan, reported, “USAID is committed to supporting the Central Asian countries in the pursuit of clean energy development and other energy priorities, as not just a goal, but a necessity.” By helping to further the energy sector’s expertise in clean energy technologies, the Hub will play an important role in shaping the region’s future energy landscape. A new curriculum on green hydrogen established by USAID in partnership with the University of Delaware, USA, and Tashkent State Technical University, has now been incorporated into a master’s degree program.

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French Company to Build a Solar Plant in Uzbekistan

Attended by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a solar power plant with a capacity of 100 megawatts took place in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm region on February 29th. Built by the French company Voltalia, the new photovoltaic plant will generate 254 million kilowatt-hours of green energy per annum and increase the volume of electricity generated in Khorezm by 30%. In addition to providing 11% of the region's annual electricity consumption by the end of the year, the new plant will save 76 million cubic meters of natural gas and prevent the release of 106 thousand tons of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The project will also harness agrovoltaics technology and by combining energy production and agriculture, allow crops to be grown under solar panels for the first time in Uzbekistan. In discussion with Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia, President Mirziyoyev emphasized his support of both the Khorezm project and the construction of a hybrid power plant in the Bukhara region, and reiterated the extent to which such innovative projects strengthen multifaceted cooperation between Uzbekistan and France.

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Green Energy as a New Driver of Uzbekistan’s Economy

At a government meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on February 28th, it was announced that in 2024, Uzbekistan will produce 13 billion kilowatt-hours of green energy via hydro, wind, and solar power plants, to generate 15% of the country’s electricity. For decades, natural gas, oil products, and coal have fuelled Uzbekistan’s electricity but in recent years, the country’s natural gas has severely depleted. In 2023, Uzbekistan registered a reduction in the production by more than 4.5 billion cubic meters, necessitating the need to import natural gas from Russia through Kazakhstan. Official statistics also recorded a decrease in the country’s oil production. At yesterday’s meeting, it was stated that the country’s potential for solar and wind energy is 10-12 times higher than the current demand for electricity. In response, the government has launched major programs to create green energy with attractive packages for investors. To date, the renewable energy sector has attracted $2.1 billion in direct foreign investment enabling the implementation of projects worth $13 billion. Solar and wind power plants are currently under construction across the country, with nine solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of 1.6 gigawatts already launched in Bukhara, Jizzakh, Kashkadarya, Navoi, Samarkand, and Surkhandarya. Rooftop solar panels with a total capacity of 457 megawatts have also been installed in commercial, public, and residential buildings. When combined, these new measures produce an additional 5 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity to the national grid and save 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas. President Mirziyoyev confirmed that the government has commissioned the following to be completed over the next three years: 28 solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of 8 gigawatts, 944 kilometers of high-voltage power lines, six large substations and 18 energy storage facilities with a total capacity of 2.2 gigawatts. He also emphasized that apart from the obvious benefits to the environment, the sector’s demand from local enterprises for solar panels, transformers and other related products has resulted in green energy becoming a new driver of the national economy.

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Afghan Canal Will Divert Water from Uzbekistan

Afghanistan has begun construction of the second phase of the Qosh Tepa Canal, which will divert water from the Amu Darya River and may have an adverse effect on agriculture in downstream Uzbekistan. The Taliban announced that construction work on the second phase, which stretches from Dawlat Abad District of Balkh Province to Andkhoi District of Faryab Province, began on February 20th, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported, adding that the 198-km first phase of the canal is now complete and construction of the 177-km second phase will take 12 months. The canal is expected to convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland in northern Afghanistan. The Taliban-led government of Afghanistan has made the Qosh Tepa Canal a priority project and its construction started in early 2022. However, neighboring Uzbekistan, the main downstream country in the Amu Darya basin, has expressed concerns that the canal will have an adverse effect on its agriculture. In September 2023, Uzbekistan’s President Mirziyoyev stated that the canal could “radically change the water regime and balance in Central Asia.” Speaking at a meeting of the Council of Heads of the Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, Mirziyoyev warned that a “new participant in the water use process has appeared in our region.” Mirziyoyev proposed the formation of a joint working group to study all aspects of the Qosh Tepa Canal and its impact on the water regime of the Amu Darya River with the involvement of research institutes of the Central Asian countries. A Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) study, “Efficient Irrigation and Water Conservation in Central Asia,” released in November 2023, emphasized the need to mitigate the anticipated decrease in the flow of the Amu Darya River from Afghanistan. EDB analysts forecast that by 2028, the combined effects of climate change, low-water periods and the commissioning of Qosh Tepa Canal in Afghanistan will result in acute water shortages in Central Asia, estimated to be between 5 and 12 km3. With the launch of the canal provisionally set for 2028, its expected water intake from the Amu Darya will be up to 10 cubic kilometers. A reduction in the Amu Darya flow will have an impact on the entire Aral Sea basin. As a result, from 2028, Central Asia will face a chronic water shortage, Evgeny Vinokurov, chief economist of the EDB warned.