Uzbekistan has signed a landmark $78 million agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Vision International Investment Company (VIIC) and France’s Suez International to improve hazardous industrial waste management and bolster environmental protection. The Ministry of Ecology announced the signing earlier this month.
The agreement was formalized by Deputy Minister of Ecology Jusipbek Kazbekov, VIIC Director of Development Kapil Lalwani, and Paul Bourdillon, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia at Suez. The project will be implemented in three phases.
A Three-Phase Strategy
The first phase will involve the construction of new waste stabilization facilities, landfills, and transfer stations to safely store and process hazardous industrial waste.
The second phase will focus on developing engineering designs and piloting technologies to produce Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), a method that converts waste into usable energy. This phase will also test incineration and thermal treatment systems.
In the third and final phase, the project will establish a full-scale RDF and waste-to-energy facility.
Suez International, with over 160 years of experience, is a global leader in water and waste management, offering innovative solutions across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. Saudi-based VIIC, founded in 2002, manages nearly $96 billion in assets and is active in energy, infrastructure, and public-private partnership projects.
The Ministry of Ecology views the agreement as a significant advancement for Uzbekistan’s environmental policy, aiming to reduce industrial pollution and support sustainable development.
Broader Environmental Initiatives
Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Ecology is also collaborating with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Union to manage hazardous agricultural chemicals. A joint project launched in Tashkent last year aims to reduce pesticide use and improve waste handling in agriculture.
Minister of Ecology Aziz Abdukhakimov emphasized the importance of these initiatives for public health and environmental safety. He also highlighted the need to update the national registry of contaminated areas, particularly former agricultural airfields, many of which have not been surveyed since the 1990s.
