Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Construction of the 200 MW Nukus-2 wind farm in Karakalpakstan’s Karauzyak district is nearing completion. Developed by Saudi company Acwa with financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the project will be Central Asia’s first utility-scale wind farm with an energy storage system. Its significance goes beyond power generation, however: the new equipment will be operated mainly by local specialists, whom the company began training long before construction was finished.
One of them is Akhmed Allambergenov from Nukus. In 2023, he was among 18 young people selected through testing and sent to study at an energy college in Shirin, Syrdarya region. There, Acwa and its operator Acwa Operations run the Al-Jabr programme, which trains specialists for the renewable energy sector.
For the first six months, students studied English, a must for working at an international company. Technical subjects were then added to the language training. Tuition is free, and students receive dormitory accommodation, three meals a day, uniforms and a monthly stipend of 1 million soums.
“All the conditions are good,” Akhmed says.
Photo: ADB
After completing their studies, the best students are interviewed and given the chance to start a career on Acwa projects. The company first signs a one-year internship contract with them and, after a second interview, may take them on as permanent staff. Some of the 2023 intake started work after just one year, while Akhmed completed the full two-year course.
Khasan Ramazanov, who graduated from the programme earlier, also began his career with an internship. In August 2023, he passed his interview and spent three months working at a combined-cycle gas power plant. Later, when vacancies opened up, he moved to the wind farm and energy storage system.
According to Sardorbek Makhmudov, general director of the Nukus-1 and Nukus-2 projects, the company selects the students itself, organises their training in Shirin and, after graduation, hires them to work at its facilities in Karakalpakstan. Graduates include residents of Tashkent and Bukhara, but around 90% of the specialists working on Acwa’s projects in the region come from Nukus. Employment is also open to those who previously studied in other fields: one of the plant’s young employees holds a university degree unrelated to energy.
According to Acwa, the company has already invested more than $5 million of the planned $20 million in the programme. The college has introduced accredited EWA curricula and equipped workshops for hands-on training. This year, 251 students were enrolled, including 38 women.
The programme’s results are already visible in employment figures. All 75 of the college’s graduates — 29 in 2024 and 46 in 2025 — have found jobs. Of these, 65 work for Acwa and another 10 for Indian company L&T.
For Akhmed, the job is a chance to master technologies that are only beginning to be used in Uzbekistan’s energy sector.
“The technologies here are new for Uzbekistan — the most advanced ones are being used. I want to gradually learn all of it, become a world-class lead specialist and introduce new technologies in our country,” he says.
What has been built
While future operators are learning the equipment, the plant itself is already generating electricity. Nukus-2 consists of 26 turbines from Chinese manufacturer Envision, each rated at 8 MW. According to Makhmudov, these are the largest wind turbines in Central Asia, with 138-metre towers and 89.6-metre blades. The project’s general contractor is Chinese company HDEC.
Since 31 August, 25 of the 26 turbines have been generating power. Overall project completion stands at 94.2%. Under its agreement with the government, the plant must reach full capacity by 28 November.
To connect the facility to the grid, a 44-km transmission line was built, and the 220 kV switchgear and the Beruniy substation of JSC National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan were expanded.
Once it reaches its design parameters, Nukus-2 is projected to generate 727,980 MWh of electricity a year and cut CO₂ emissions by 406,170 tonnes. This is expected to be enough to supply 300,000 households at once.
Sardorbek Makhmudov / Photo: ADB
“When Nukus-1 and Nukus-2 are running at full capacity, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions will be avoided every year. These projects not only meet the region’s electricity needs but also make a major contribution to Uzbekistan’s transition to a green economy,” Makhmudov notes.
Nukus-2, also known as Beruniy Wind, is Acwa’s second wind farm in the region. The first, the 100 MW Nukus-1 (Karatau Wind) with 16 turbines of 6.5 MW each, began operating last autumn. The company estimates it can supply electricity to around 148,000 households.
Nukus-2 costs $258.9 million to build, compared with $117 million for Nukus-1. According to Abdulatif Matkarimov, ADB associate portfolio management officer for the private sector, ADB and Acwa signed a $51 million loan package for the construction of the Nukus-2 wind farm and battery energy storage system. It comprises $25.4 million from ADB’s ordinary capital resources and $25.4 million from the Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund 2, which ADB manages. In addition, as part of its support for Uzbekistan’s energy sector, ADB, together with the government, provided a credit guarantee of around $7 million.
“We recently signed a wind project in Nukus, and larger projects are expected later this year or early next year,” he said.
According to Makhmudov, Nukus-2’s electricity tariff is the lowest among comparable projects.
Battery energy storage system / Photo: ADB
Why a wind farm needs batteries
One of Nukus-2’s distinctive features is its 100-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system. It consists of more than 70 battery containers and is designed to feed stored electricity into the grid when needed.
The system is already connected and its construction is complete. However, the batteries are being commissioned in stages due to fire safety requirements, a process that may take up to a month. Once the voltage is stepped up to 220 kV, stored energy can flow directly into the grid.
According to Makhmudov, the system is meant to keep the power supply stable when wind output drops and demand rises.
“The 100 MWh battery system will ensure a stable, uninterrupted power supply both in calm weather and when the load on the grid increases,” he explains.
The storage can also be used to keep the grid balanced during outages and equipment repairs. Makhmudov cites a scenario in which demand spikes in summer or winter, or a substation fails.
“This is not a phone battery. If demand rises in summer or winter and some substation goes down, the battery kicks in. It keeps the grid balanced for about three to four hours while repairs are under way,” he says.
He adds that more stable voltage helps protect household appliances, including air conditioners, from damage. The storage also makes it possible to repair old lines and substations without cutting off consumers.
Wind generation, however, depends on the weather. A turbine starts turning at wind speeds above 3 m/s and reaches full capacity at 8 m/s and above. In summer, when temperatures exceed 45°C, the wind weakens. In severe frost, the turbines are shut down to prevent accidents caused by icing on the blades.
Under the project’s requirements, each turbine must be available for operation at least 97% of the time. Monthly inspections show the figure at 98.9%.
The storage system is thus intended to smooth out fluctuations in output and support the grid during periods of peak demand. This is particularly important for Karakalpakstan, where both households and industry need a stable power supply.
Photo: ADB
What changes for the region
The additional generation is already seen as part of a broader goal: making Karakalpakstan’s power supply more reliable.
“At first, everyone kept asking us: you’ve built a wind farm, so does that mean our lights won’t go out anymore?” Makhmudov recalls.
He says the electricity currently generated in the region is sufficient to meet consumer demand. The additional capacity should help reduce grid losses and voltage drops, making supply more reliable, including in remote villages.
Alongside energy development, the region is counting on expanding industrial production. That will require more available capacity and upgraded distribution infrastructure.
“If we are talking about industrialisation, many enterprises will appear that need more electricity. Karakalpakstan must provide a stable power supply both to businesses and, of course, to families,” said Begzod Jalilov, ADB regional cooperation specialist.
Electricity is also essential for infrastructure, particularly water supply. According to Makhmudov, power for pumps is one of the main cost items in treating and delivering drinking water, and these costs are higher in Karakalpakstan than in other regions of the country.
“The first thing a business needs is electricity. Without it, doing business is impossible,” he notes.
The republic’s development strategy envisages building new transmission lines of 92.3 km in Khodjeyli, 53 km in Kegeyli and 69.7 km in Amudarya district. Digital grid management is also planned to eliminate voltage drops in winter.
The ADB loan allocates $13.4 million to digitalising Karakalpakstan’s distribution networks.
Photo: ADB
Local specialists, from construction to operation
The development of energy infrastructure is creating jobs. Specialists from Karakalpakstan and Khorezm region are involved in building Nukus-2 and preparing the plant for operation.
“A great many local specialists from Karakalpakstan and Khorezm are involved in construction and subsequent operation. We hold regular training for them on international safety standards and on operating Envision and HDEC equipment,” said Armat Bakitov, head of occupational health and safety for the project.
Lenders require that local workers make up at least 50% of the workforce. According to Makhmudov, 750–800 specialists worked on the Nukus-2 site during construction. The share of local staff exceeded 50% and at times reached 57%.
Employment at the site is monitored by independent consultants. Every quarter, they check headcount, hiring terms, timely payment of wages and living conditions, and report their findings to the lenders.
Once construction is complete, the workforce shrinks, but the need for skilled specialists remains. By comparison, Nukus-1 is run by 14 to 20 people. While foreigners made up 70–80% of specialists in the early stages, only two or three remain today. All operators are Uzbek citizens, 90% of them from Nukus.
Local employees work a five-days-on, two-days-off schedule. Three ambulance teams with doctors from Nukus city hospital are on duty at the site around the clock. A rotational camp has been built for staff, with rooms equipped with en-suite bathrooms, TVs and air conditioning. The site also has a canteen, gyms and offices.
Four women work on Acwa’s project team. According to Bakitov, women also hold management positions in the general contractor’s HR and social services departments. Community Liaison Officers handle relations with residents of nearby settlements.
For some workers, moving into renewable energy has been the next step in their careers. Before joining the project, electrician Mansurbek Ismoilov spent ten years at the polymer plant of the Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex in Kungrad.
“I came here because it’s a new project, something new for Uzbekistan,” he says.
Mansurbek is from Urgench. Taking the short road through the mountains, home is 65 km away.
How birds and tortoises are protected
Environmental risks are also taken into account in building and operating the wind farm. The plant has no sensors that automatically stop turbines when birds approach. According to Makhmudov, the site does not lie on a migration route, as it is shielded by a mountain range.
Instead, during operation an independent company, in agreement with the bank and lenders, surveys the area around each turbine. In a year of monitoring, not a single bird death has been recorded.
Separate measures protect the Red Book-listed tortoises that live near the plant. Ecologists have accompanied the project from its early stages, including the construction of access roads and the rotational camp.
If tortoises are found in a work area, the section is fenced off and the animals, along with their families, are relocated at least 3 km from the site. The new habitats are also fenced and checked daily.
What’s next
Nukus-2 is part of broader plans to develop renewable energy and train personnel in Karakalpakstan. The republic’s development strategy envisages introducing dual education at Nukus District Technical College No. 2, which plans to train students in solar and wind energy, as well as in servicing electric vehicle charging equipment.
It is also proposed to involve renewable energy developers in organising internships and certifying graduates, and to set requirements for hiring local specialists and sourcing from local suppliers.
“Curricula must match labour market demand so that you can find a job after graduation,” Jalilov told students.
Kanokpan Lao-Araya, Country Director of ADB’s Uzbekistan Resident Mission, also urged the region’s young people to seize the opportunities created by infrastructure development.
“You are the ones who will live the longest with the results of this development. I hope you will study, acquire skills, look for solutions and give your knowledge back to your region and your country,” she said.
Under the strategy, $11 billion is to be invested in wind and solar energy in Karakalpakstan, with total project capacity of 10.3 GW. Planned facilities include a 1.5 GW Acwa wind farm with energy storage in Kungrad and a 2 GW wind project by SANY. The Kungrad project, for which ADB participation of $115 million is envisaged, is included in the bank’s 2027 lending plan.
Another project is the Nukus-3 hybrid plant, which will combine wind and solar generation with energy storage. According to Makhmudov, the relevant agreement is expected to be signed soon.
The new capacity may also be needed by enterprises planned for the region, including data centres and mining and metallurgical operations. Surplus electricity is to be transferred to the country’s unified power system.
According to Jalilov, Karakalpakstan could also sell carbon credits to foreign investors under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The Nukus-2 project is aligned with ADB’s 2024–2028 country partnership strategy for Uzbekistan, which supports the green transition and private sector development. Since 1995, the bank has provided Uzbekistan with $16.3 billion in sovereign and private sector financing, as well as $158.1 million in technical assistance. Uzbekistan is the bank’s second-largest borrower in Central and West Asia. In 2026, the two sides signed a $12.5 billion partnership programme through 2030.
According to Lao-Araya, Karakalpakstan accounts for 20% of ADB’s loan portfolio in Uzbekistan. She linked the focus on the region to the effects of climate change and the need to accelerate investment in infrastructure and human capital.
“Our funds allocated to Karakalpakstan make up 20% of our entire loan portfolio in Uzbekistan. This shows how much importance we attach to the region. The region has been severely affected by climate change. That is why now is the time to fundamentally transform it, to invest in renewable energy and in young people,” she said.
“ADB remains firmly committed to supporting Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan in tackling complex development challenges — ensuring water security, building climate resilience, developing infrastructure, advancing the energy transition and creating economic opportunities for future generations,” Lao-Araya added.
Akhmed Allambergenov and Khasan Ramazanov have begun their careers in an industry that is only just taking shape in Karakalpakstan: construction of the region’s first wind farm began in 2024. Now they will maintain the turbines and battery system of Nukus-2 throughout the plant’s service life. How successfully such specialists are trained will also shape the operation of the new energy facilities planned for the region.
