Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on 18 September launched construction of the 1.5 GW Kungrad wind power plant being developed by Acwa during his visit to Karakalpakstan. The project also includes infrastructure to connect the facility to Uzbekistan’s unified power grid, Acwa reported. The president.uz website also confirmed that construction of the wind plant and its grid connection had entered the active phase. (President of Uzbekistan)
The Kungrad wind farm will be the largest wind power project in the CIS, according to Acwa. The plant will include a 300 MW battery energy storage system (BESS). Acwa’s project documentation confirms the 1,500 MW wind capacity and 300 MW BESS. (ACWA Power)
To transmit the electricity generated by the plant, around 1,500 km of high-voltage transmission lines will be built, along with three 500 kV switching stations, while two additional substations will be modernized. (President of Uzbekistan)
Speaking at the launch ceremony for new energy facilities, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that the share of green energy in Uzbekistan had reached 40% over a short period.
The Kungrad wind farm will become part of Acwa’s wider energy portfolio in Karakalpakstan. The Nukus-1 and Nukus-2 projects, with a combined capacity of 300 MW and 100 MW of energy storage systems, have already been implemented in Beruniy and Karauzak districts.
Taking into account existing, under-construction and planned facilities, Acwa’s total project capacity in Karakalpakstan will reach around 2.3 GW. Investments are estimated at about US$4 billion, while the capacity of energy storage systems will total 650 MW and the length of transmission lines will reach 1,441 km.
The projects are expected to generate around 8.77 billion kWh of clean electricity annually. According to the company, this would be sufficient to meet the needs of approximately 2.4 million households. The projects are also expected to save around 2.1 billion cubic metres of natural gas and prevent nearly 5 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
Abid Malik, Acwa’s president for Central Asia, said Karakalpakstan was becoming one of the company’s key investment destinations in Uzbekistan. According to him, once all projects currently under development are implemented, Acwa’s portfolio in the region will more than double.
Around 4,000 jobs are expected to be created during the peak construction period of the Kungrad wind farm. The volume of localisation is estimated at approximately US$750 million, which, according to the company, will create additional opportunities for local specialists, companies and suppliers.
The company is also involved in training personnel for the energy sector. Currently, 78 students from Karakalpakstan are studying at Shirin College for subsequent employment at major energy facilities.
The authorities plan to increase the combined capacity of wind power plants in Karakalpakstan to 3.3 GW by 2030 and the share of green energy to 76%.
Acwa said the development of energy projects in the region includes not only new generation capacity but also energy storage systems, transmission infrastructure, localisation of production and specialist training.
Acwa has operated in Uzbekistan since 2019. According to the company, Uzbekistan is its second-largest market worldwide by investment volume after Saudi Arabia. The company is implementing 19 projects in Uzbekistan with a total capacity of 13.9 GW and combined investments of US$16.5 billion.
Acwa’s Uzbekistan portfolio includes wind and solar power projects, energy storage systems, conventional generation and green hydrogen projects.
