New Energy-Efficient Pumping Station Opens in Ferghana

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Approximately 2.4 million hectares of agricultural land, accounting for 56% of Uzbekistan’s irrigated area, depend on pumping stations. The country operates 1,700 such facilities, which annually consume 7.2 billion kWh of electricity — nearly 16% of total energy consumption. In this context, improving the energy efficiency of irrigation systems remains a key priority for the agricultural and water management sectors.

The “Ferghana Valley Water Resources Management, Phase 2” project, implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources and funded by the World Bank, the Government of Uzbekistan, and the European Union with a total investment exceeding US$175 million, aims to modernize irrigation and drainage services. A key focus of the project is upgrading individual pumping stations that supply water to densely populated and intensively cultivated areas of the valley.

During a recent working visit to Ferghana Region, Najy Benhasin, the World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia, inspected the new “Avval-Logon” pumping station, constructed with the support of the project. Together with representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources and local authorities, he participated in the station’s commissioning ceremony.

The new facility is fully automated and equipped with three energy-efficient pump units. It is capable of delivering up to 2 cubic meters of water per second, or 63 million cubic meters per year, raising it to a height of 175 meters. This capacity ensures irrigation of lands critically in need of water during the spring and summer periods. The station is connected to modern engineering infrastructure, including a 10,000 kV electrical substation, a 110 kV power line, and a 1,220 mm diameter pressure pipeline, each extending more than nine kilometers.

According to estimates, the station will supply water to around 5,000 hectares of farmland. Its services will benefit one agricultural cluster, about forty farmers and farm enterprises, and over three thousand landowners across fourteen villages in Ferghana Region.

Overall, the project has already improved the quality of irrigation and drainage services over an area of about 46,000 hectares, covering half of its targeted territory. These upgrades have positively impacted approximately 48,000 farmers, also around half of all program beneficiaries.