Seven Tashkent Districts to Get 203 MW Cogeneration Plants

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Projects to build cogeneration plants with a combined electricity generation capacity of 203 MW are planned in seven districts of Tashkent.

The projects will be implemented under public-private partnership arrangements and will provide heating to 615 facilities, including apartment buildings, schools, kindergartens and medical institutions, Thermal Power Plants said.

The cogeneration plants are planned for the Mirzo Ulugbek, Yangihayot, Yashnabad, Uchtepa, Mirobod, Shaykhantahur and Yunusabad districts.

The facilities expected to receive heat from the new plants include 549 apartment buildings, 17 schools, 26 kindergartens and seven medical institutions.

The projects will be financed by Netherlands-registered Tashgen B.V. and Turkish companies Pales Mühendislik Yatirimlari San. Tic. A.Ş. and Şekerci Endüstriyel İç ve Dış Tic. Ltd. According to presentation materials from the Tashkent city administration, total investment is estimated at US$173 million.

Thermal Power Plants said construction of the cogeneration facilities is provided for by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated 20 January 2023. The plants are planned to be located in districts at the terminal sections of the capital’s heating networks.

Once all seven projects are completed, estimated annual electricity generation will reach about 1.5 billion kWh, while heat supplied to consumers will amount to around 1.2 million Gcal. The plants will require about 370 million cubic meters of natural gas annually. The projects are also expected to create 80 jobs.

The first cogeneration facilities in Tashkent have already been commissioned. The need for additional heating sources became particularly urgent following problems during the winter of 2022-2023.

In December 2022, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Chilanzar Heating Center.

During a period of sharply colder weather, gas pressure in the capital fell, while aging equipment and heating networks caused additional heat losses. At the time, authorities proposed developing alternative heating sources, including compact plants capable of producing electricity and heat simultaneously.

One such project was implemented jointly with Turkish company Iltekno in the Oktepa and Bogzor mahallas of Chilanzar District. The installation cost US$10 million. Its electricity capacity is 4.6 MW and its heat capacity is 29 Gcal per hour.

According to the company, the plant can generate about 41 million kWh of electricity and 219,000 Gcal of heat annually, while natural gas savings could reach about 5.3 million cubic meters per year. The facility supplies energy to 50 apartment buildings, seven social facilities and a number of businesses.

After visiting the facility in October 2023, the president instructed authorities to expand similar projects to other districts of the capital.

Another cogeneration plant was commissioned in the Shon-Shukhrat mahalla of Almazar District. The US$3.6 million project was also implemented jointly with Iltekno. The plant has an electricity capacity of 1.2 MW and a heat capacity of 6.4 Gcal per hour, with an efficiency rate of 88%.

The plant can generate about 9.6 million kWh of electricity and 26,400 Gcal of heat annually. More efficient fuel use is expected to save about 700,000 cubic meters of natural gas per year, while harmful emissions are reduced by 67%.

A similar facility was built in the Uzg arish mahalla of Sergeli District. The project cost US$5.7 million. The plant, with an electricity capacity of 2.3 MW and a heat capacity of 10 Gcal per hour, can generate about 18.4 million kWh of electricity and 46,000 Gcal of heat annually. Its efficiency rate is also 88%.

According to Thermal Power Plants, the facility saves about 220,000 cubic meters of natural gas annually and reduces harmful emissions. The plant supplies heat and electricity to 52 apartment buildings, a school, a preschool institution, another social facility and nearby businesses.

Cogeneration involves the simultaneous production of electricity and heat at a single facility.

This allows heat that could otherwise be lost during conventional electricity generation to be used, increasing the efficiency of fuel consumption.