Strategy being developed with European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and Corporate Solutions
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, May 4 2020: The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan is pleased to announce the development of a national Low-Carbon Energy Strategy (‘the Strategy’) with assistance from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and international consulting company Corporate Solutions.
In line with nationally determined contributions (i.e. intended reductions) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Government of Uzbekistan is committed to improving energy efficiency and increasing the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy balance. This latest development is also a part of Uzbekistan’s growing role in the regional and international energy markets.
The Ministry of Energy believes the current energy production system in Uzbekistan could benefit from modernisation and exposure to the very latest low carbon technologies. The Strategy will aid the transition to low-carbon forms of energy production and meet increasing demands for energy.
Mr. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan, commented:
“We are pleased to be working closely with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the international consulting company Corporate Solutions in the development of our low-carbon energy strategy.
“The transition to low-carbon energy will make it possible to provide our country with electricity at a high growth rate and improve our citizens’ quality of life.”
Corporate Solutions is modelling Uzbekistan’s energy system against the experiences of Germany, Japan and Spain to learn from their respective low-carbon transitions. The learnings will help shape Uzbekistan’s own strategy and the process of attracting international investment. Uzbekistan plans to develop alternative energy sources, including solar, hydro and wind, to produce electricity with low carbon emissions. Uzbekistan is also building Central Asia’s first nuclear power plant, to provide the country with uninterrupted and high-quality electricity on an industrial scale.
The Strategy follows the recent publication of a ten-year plan for electricity provision in Uzbekistan developed with the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. This aims to deploy up to 30 GW of additional power capacity by 2030, including 5 GW of solar energy, 3.8 GW of hydro energy, 2.4 GW of nuclear energy and up to 3 GW of wind energy. Priority activities outlined include:
- Modernisation and reconstruction of existing power plants;
- Construction of new generating assets using energy efficient power production technologies;
- Improvement of power metering systems;
- Fuel diversification and development of renewable energy sources - especially solar energy; and
- Legal reforms to improve tariff polices and to aid transition to a wholesale market
These measures aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% (from 2010 levels) by 2030.
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