Uzbekistan identifies 3,000 sites for small hydropower plants

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan has identified about 3,000 potential sites for the construction of small and micro hydropower plants, with more than 2,500 already offered at auction, First Deputy Energy Minister Umid Mamadaminov said in an interview with Uzbekistan 24 television.

According to Mamadaminov, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a separate meeting on 19 August on the development of small hydropower and instructed officials to increase electricity generation by using the potential of small and micro hydropower plants.

Before projects are implemented, they will undergo additional technical and economic assessments. Specialists will examine the efficiency of the facilities, the availability of sufficient water flow and whether they can achieve annual electricity generation at a level of at least 40–50%. The work will be conducted on a scientific basis in cooperation with a hydropower research institute.

The projects will be divided into three categories. The first will include sites where the required water head is already available. These projects are expected to be implemented first.

The second category will include projects on existing canals where hydraulic structures will need to be modified to increase the water head. Separate consideration will also be given to sites where additional potential can be created by modifying hydraulic structures and regulating water flow.

“We will divide everything into these three categories and reassess the attractiveness of the projects. This will create opportunities for financing, make them more attractive to entrepreneurs and create competition,” Mamadaminov said.

The Ministry of Energy also plans to change the way some sites are offered at auction. Currently, each small hydropower plant is generally offered separately, even when several plants are located along the same watercourse.

According to the first deputy minister, entrepreneurs are interested in building five or six hydropower plants on some canals. The ministry therefore proposes combining four or five plants located along the same watercourse into a single project portfolio.

The approach is expected to reduce design costs and make it easier to attract financing.

The Ministry of Energy also plans to prevent situations in which entrepreneurs acquire sites for projects without actually intending to build hydropower plants. Mamadaminov said there had been cases in which sites were acquired at auctions for virtually zero cost.

“This apparently means that the main goal was not to generate electricity at a hydropower plant, but to obtain the land,” he said.

A minimum cost has been established to prevent such cases. Amendments are also planned that would require auction winners to use the acquired project for its intended purpose — building a hydropower plant and generating electricity.

At the same time, Uzbekistan is developing domestic production of equipment for small hydropower. According to Mamadaminov, a plant operated by Uzbekhydroenergo that produces equipment for small and micro hydropower plants with a capacity of up to 40 MW is currently operating at full capacity.

The president has also instructed officials to train local specialists and expand the use of Uzbek-made equipment in the construction of new small hydropower plants.

“Today, Uzbekistan has created an opportunity whereby a separate industry has effectively been established around micro hydropower plants. We will now make separate proposals to expand this experience across the regions,” the first deputy energy minister said.