Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Karakalpakstan should become one of the region’s largest centers for green energy production, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at a meeting on the socio-economic development of the republic in Nukus.
Mirziyoyev said new energy facilities with a total capacity of 860 megawatts had been commissioned in Karakalpakstan in recent years.
According to the president, the construction of wind farms in Beruni and Karauzyak districts has raised the share of green energy in the region to 23%. Electricity generation has quadrupled to 5 billion 330 million kilowatt-hours, almost three times the annual electricity demand of the republic’s population and enterprises.
Mirziyoyev said construction had begun on 47 new projects ahead of the meeting, including a 1,500-megawatt wind farm in Kungrad with a cost of US$2.6 billion. The project will include the construction of 1,500 kilometers of high-voltage power lines and three 500-kilovolt substations, he said.
The president said wind farms with a combined capacity of 3,300 megawatts are planned to be commissioned in Karakalpakstan by 2030, raising the share of green energy to 76%. Energy storage facilities with a capacity of 400 megawatts will also be created.
He noted that the republic has the necessary resources for these plans, including land, mineral resources, solar and wind energy, as well as extensive pastures.
According to Mirziyoyev, these opportunities will serve as the basis for a new industrial and investment map for the region based on the principle of moving “from resources to finished products.” He said the Kungrad-Karauzyak-Takhiatash direction would become a “green industrial corridor,” described as Karakalpakstan’s so-called “triangle of the smart economy.”
The president instructed responsible officials to develop a five-year regional energy development programme by 1 October and ensure a stable electricity supply with a capacity of 1 gigawatt for investors.
