Turkey’s Aksa Enerji to Manage Samarkand Power Grids for 30 Years

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The electricity distribution networks of Samarkand region will be transferred to the management of Turkish company Aksa Enerji, the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan reported.

On 18 November, during the third Public-Private Partnership (PPP) roundtable, Aksa Enerji was officially awarded the contract following an international tender for the modernization of the region’s distribution networks.

The project includes full design, financing, construction, management, maintenance, and operation of the low-voltage distribution infrastructure in Samarkand region. The total network length is 30,820 km, 54% of which is outdated. Under the concession, the company plans to upgrade substations and transformer points, reduce energy losses, and lower state expenditures.

The management term is up to 30 years, with possible extensions if project conditions are met. Successful implementation could lead to the phased transfer of distribution networks to private management in other regions of Uzbekistan.

Aksa Enerji is part of Kazancı Holding, which implements energy, agriculture, and tourism projects in Türkiye, Africa, and Uzbekistan. The company has already commissioned thermal power plants in Bukhara and Tashkent regions and plans to build a 400 MW gas-fired station in Kashkadarya with US$250 million in investment.

According to Sherzod Khodjaev, Director of the Agency for Energy Market Development and Regulation, the investor will earn revenue per kWh transmitted through the network, while tariffs for end consumers will remain unchanged.

Other finalists included Türkiye’s Cengiz Enerji Sanayii ve Ticaret A.Ş and the consortium EDF Power Solutions International SAS and The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (France and Japan).

The project, valued at approximately US$357 million through 2030, is part of Uzbekistan’s broader PPP program to modernize its energy infrastructure.