TASHKENT (TCA) — A ban on the sale of incandescent lamps of more than 40 watts has come into effect in Uzbekistan from 1 January 2017, the official Jahon information agency reported.
There will be an exception to the rule in cases where manufacturers of processing units, motor vehicles, educational, medical and other special equipment define mandatory requirements on the use of incandescent light bulbs in them.
The Resolution of the Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers “On measures to expand domestic production of energy-saving lamps” was adopted in 2015. The decision was made due to the fact that the efficiency of incandescent light bulbs is less than 5%. This means that 95% of the electrical energy heats the air and only 5% is used for lighting.
Uzbekistan’s national energy company Uzbekenergo earlier recommended Uzbek electricity consumers to switch from using incandescent lamps to light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, in order to save the country’s energy resources.
LED lamps have a lifespan and electrical efficiency that is several times better than that of incandescent lamps, and significantly better than most fluorescent lamps. LED lamps are also environmentally friendly.
According to Uzbekenergo, today Uzbek consumers use more than 43 million incandescent lamps with a power capacity of 60 Watts each. Their total power capacity is 2,939 MW and power consumption 6.4 billion kWh per year. If all consumers in the country switch from using incandescent lamps to LED lamps, Uzbekistan’s annual electricity consumption will reduce by 5 billion kWh, which will save 1.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas or five million tons of coal.
Most electricity in Uzbekistan is generated at gas- and coal-fueled power plants.
Over the past years Uzbekistan has opened several production facilities manufacturing modern energy-saving lamps.
In Uzbekistan, LED lamps are produced in the Navoi free economic zone, and by EGL-NUR, an Uzbek-Korean joint venture, in the Angren special industrial zone.
In August 2015, the joint venture Yorqin Chiroqlar for the production of LED lighting products opened in the Jizzakh special industrial zone. The joint company was co-founded by Jizzakh TPP, part of Uzbekenergo, and Owell, South Korea’s leading LED lighting company.
