The Minister of Energy, Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov, unveiled plans to increase the share of renewable energy sources in power production at the Energy Week (UEW 2024) that opened in Tashkent on May 14.
“We have an ambitious goal that we must achieve by the end of this year, which is to increase the share of renewable energy sources to 18% of total power generation. And when we talk about renewable energy sources, we only consider solar and wind energy, which by 2030 will make up 40% of our energy mix due to the operation of 25 GW of solar and wind power plants,” he said.
Due to the commissioning of new capacities in 2023, last Sunday (May 12) during the daytime, Uzbekistan reached 18% of solar and wind generation, the minister said.
“Of course, the demand was small, but we achieved this figure. So this 18% by the end of the year is really achievable, because by the end of the year we will commission 2000 MW of solar power plants and 600 MW of wind power stations. In addition, we will launch 300 MW energy storage systems by the end of the year,” he noted.
The next stage of reforms will be to attract private investors into the electricity distribution grid, as well as doubling energy efficiency.
In addition, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan plan to export green energy to Europe, including Hungary and Romania, Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov said.
“We are moving to the next stage of our reforms, including in the energy sector, and these reforms are complex. But, as our president noted, reforms cannot be achieved alone. We can proceed with reforms only with our friends, neighbors, partners, and investors. That is why I would like to welcome all the people who support our reforms, who are participating today and supporting investment in the energy sector,” he emphasized.
In 2024, the volume of “green energy” production in Uzbekistan was planned to increase to 13 billion kWh, and its share in the country’s overall energy balance to 15%. At a meeting in February, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was not happy with the plans of the Minister of Energy and governors in the field of alternative energy and ordered to expedite the launch of 14 solar and wind power plants by two to three months, as well as to begin projects of two pumped storage stations.