Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan Alisher Sultanov held talks with Chairman of the Board of ACWA Power (Saudi Arabia) Muhammad Abunayan.

During the meeting, the progress of ongoing joint projects, as well as the possibility of implementing new projects in the field of alternative energy, were discussed.

In particular, Alisher Sultanov noted the importance of ensuring the commissioning of generation projects on time, including the construction by ACWA Power, the commissioning and further maintenance of thermal power plants (TPPs) and wind farms.

As part of the project, the Uzbek side expressed satisfaction with the progress of construction and installation work, which is in line with the schedule, despite the difficult situation in the world with logistics associated with pandemic restrictions.

In the Bukhara region, a Saudi company is implementing a project for the construction of wind farms with a total cost of US$1.3 billion.

Currently, within the framework of this project, negotiations are underway with potential lenders, and additional studies are being carried out at the sites.

During the discussion, the progress of the 100 MW wind farm project in the Republic of Karakalpakstan was considered, the winner of the tender for which was ACWA Power, offering a tariff low enough for wind generation in 2.57 cents per 1 kWh of electricity generated. On 17 December 2021, Electricity Purchase Agreements were signed with a Saudi company.

During the meeting, Muhammad Abunayan noted the great interest of ACWA Power in the implementation of joint hydrogen energy projects, where they already have their own experience.

In particular, trilateral cooperation was signed in this direction with the participation of the international company Air Products.

As a result of the meeting, the parties reached an agreement on a detailed study of existing issues by specialists in order to implement projects on schedule.