The ADB is proposing a large scale, solar-plus-battery system in Uzbekistan.
According to a listing on ADB’s website, the Samarkand 1 Solar PV and BESS Project will involve the construction of two solar power plants, of 100 MW and 400 MW, a pooling station, 500 MWh BESS, loop-in loop-out transmission lines, and a 70 km overhead transmission line.
The project will be developed by ACWA Power’s Sazagan Solar 1 LLC, a project company under Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power.
ADB said it will be one of the first utility-scale renewable energy projects with a battery energy storage system (BESS) component in Uzbekistan. It follows the announcement of the county’s first BESS in May 2024 and the connection of the first phase of a 511 MW solar project in March of this year.
Separately, ACWA Power recently announced financial close on a 200 MW solar plant and 500 MWh BESS near the national capital, Tashkent.
Uzbekistan had 253 MW of cumulative installed solar capacity at the end of last year, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
ADB said the country’s current energy policy is geared toward encouraging private sector investment in large-scale renewable projects, with the government currently working on increasing solar capacity to 7 GW.
