Sea Breeze Uzbekistan Clears Second Stage of Environmental Review
The $5 billion Sea Breeze Uzbekistan project has completed the first two stages of its environmental impact assessment, receiving positive state environmental opinions for both, according to the Ecology Committee. The controversial resort is planned for the shores of the Charvak Reservoir, one of the most popular recreation areas near Tashkent. Its location has made the project the subject of sustained environmental scrutiny. Uzbekistan’s National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change said the second-stage opinion was issued on September 10. The review will continue with a final assessment planned after construction is completed and before the complex is put into operation. The project is being developed by Azerbaijani businessman and singer Emin Agalarov, who spent more than two decades at Crocus Group, the property company founded by his father, Aras Agalarov. He left in 2023 to focus on his own development business. Agalarov was formerly married to Leyla Aliyeva, daughter of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. His flagship Sea Breeze resort is on Azerbaijan’s Caspian coast. Plans for the resort include hotels and residences alongside leisure and commercial facilities. The project also envisages a bridge across the reservoir and venues for year-round concerts and festivals. From Government Approval to Environmental Review In August 2025, the Uzbek government approved the direct lease of 577 hectares in the Bostanlyk district of Tashkent region to Sea Breeze Uzbekistan LLC for 25 years, with a preferential right to extend the lease. For critics of the project, the central issue from the outset has been water. Charvak plays an important role in the region’s water system and is used for water supply, irrigation, and hydropower. Its shores are also one of the main resort areas for residents of Tashkent. Construction of a large complex has raised concerns about pollution and the pressure it would put on the shoreline. The #SaveChorvoq campaign emerged on social media in 2025 as activists sought greater scrutiny of the plans. The first stage of the environmental review, approved in February 2026, required further hydrological and biodiversity studies. The second stage reviewed those findings and set more specific conditions for construction and operation. Its positive opinion was issued on September 10 and remains valid for three years. Public hearings were held in the Bostanlyk district on January 23, 2026, giving residents and environmental groups an opportunity to raise objections and proposals. Members of the Ecology Committee’s Public Council have also carried out site inspections, which the committee said have so far found no breaches of environmental requirements. Separate water-protection requirements apply to the project. Its wastewater is to be taken outside the coastal area and directed to a centralized treatment system, while construction must take place outside designated water-protection zones. The timing of the approvals has also drawn scrutiny. The government approved the investment project and land lease in August 2025, six months before the first-stage environmental opinion was issued. In August this year, authorities were still awaiting documents needed for the second stage, including details on wastewater infrastructure and the scale...
