Uzbekistan will announce next year tenders to construct solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of 600 megawatts (MW), the Uzbek Energy Ministry said Monday.
The bids for solar power plants in the Kashkadarya and Fergana regions, located in southern and eastern Uzbekistan respectively, with a combined capacity of 400 MW, and a 200 MW wind power plant in Karakalpakstan region, western Uzbekistan, will be held with consulting support of the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, it added.
The projects aim to increase access to reliable and clean electricity in rural areas, and prepare the solar sector for private sector investments.
This month Uzbekistan signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Saudi Arabia-based energy company ACWA Power on a wind power plant to be constructed in northwestern Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan hopes to increase its solar and wind power generation to eight gigawatts by 2026.
