Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan has introduced a special environmental regime for greenhouse farms in Tashkent and five districts of Tashkent Region, setting requirements for heating systems, emissions monitoring and waste management while providing financial support for environmental upgrades.
Government Resolution No. 586 establishes the new rules for the capital and the Yukorichirchik, Kibray, Yangiyul, Zangiata and Tashkent districts, the press service of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change said. The preparation of relevant proposals for the president was reported on 13 October.
Under the resolution, greenhouse farms with heating systems in the designated zone must use natural gas, including liquefied gas, electricity, geothermal or solar energy, or waste heat generated by thermal power plants. Operations require a positive conclusion from the state environmental assessment.
Greenhouses currently using solid fuels, including coal, biomass briquettes and pellets, must switch to the specified energy sources by 1 December.
The use of solid fuels will be permitted only if prescribed environmental requirements are met. These include automated control of fuel supply and combustion, installation of dust and gas-cleaning equipment meeting specified efficiency standards, and the fitting of boiler facilities with continuous emissions-monitoring systems.
Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) must comply with national standards, be integrated with the Ecology Committee’s information systems and transmit data in real time. Boiler units, pollution-control equipment and monitoring systems must have certificates of conformity.
Greenhouse operators must also install online cameras to continuously monitor boiler operations and flue-gas emissions. Cameras, monitoring systems and pollution-control equipment must be supported by uninterruptible power supplies and backup generators.
Greenhouse owners are required to arrange the collection, transportation and disposal of ash, heavy metals, scale, sludge and other toxic substances in accordance with established procedures. Changes to equipment that affect its operation and are not предусмотрed in the technical documentation are prohibited.
The resolution separately bans the use as fuel of car tyres, bitumen, fuel oil, plastics and polymer films, synthetic cardboard, rubber, wool fibres, used oils, household and industrial waste, and materials of similar composition.
Financial support for environmental modernisation
Until 1 January 2028, greenhouse farms in the designated zone are to receive compensation for 50% of the cost of purchasing dust and gas-cleaning equipment, boiler units, energy-saving screens and energy-efficient technologies.
Subsidies will also cover heating equipment powered by electricity, geothermal and solar energy, as well as cogeneration units. The maximum payment will be 50 million soums per hectare of greenhouse area.
In 2026–2027, commercial banks will provide loans to support the transition to heating systems using electricity, geothermal and solar energy, as well as cogeneration.
The loans will have a seven-year term, including a three-year grace period, and an annual interest rate of 14%, of which four percentage points will constitute the bank’s margin.
Loans may cover up to 50% of a project’s cost, capped at 3 billion soums per hectare.
Funding of up to 350 million soums per station will be available for the purchase of CEMS equipment.
The funds will be provided under a tripartite agreement, with repayment over five years without interest. Recipients must comply with technical requirements, install the equipment, integrate it with the Ecology Committee’s information system and ensure uninterrupted data transmission.
If contractual obligations are breached — including failure to install the equipment, integrate it with the information system or transmit data, or make payments on time after a written warning — the stations may be dismantled and recovered in accordance with the contract. Overdue debts will be subject to collection without the debtor’s consent.
The resolution also provides for environmental standards for boilers in other industries that use fuels that adversely affect air quality.
Businesses with an environmental impact are to be classified into red, yellow and green categories according to their level of environmental safety. The relevant requirements will be incorporated into legislation.
In addition, until 1 January 2030, imports of equipment intended for the establishment and modernisation of greenhouse farms that is not manufactured in Uzbekistan will be exempt from customs duties. The exemption will cover dust and gas-cleaning equipment, energy-efficient boilers, cogeneration units, equipment for using geothermal and solar energy, automated emissions-monitoring systems and their components.
Filtrate treatment and water reuse
The resolution provides for the treatment of hazardous liquid waste generated in greenhouse heating-system filters, as well as hydroponic wastewater known as filtrate, for subsequent reuse as technical water.
A temporary filtrate storage reservoir is scheduled to be built and commissioned in the eco-industrial zone in Akhangaran District by 1 January 2027. An operator responsible for processing the filtrate will be selected through a competitive process by 1 June 2027.
The Tashkent Region administration must allocate a plot of land in the eco-industrial zone by 1 November this year.
Construction of the reservoir may proceed in stages under the relevant project documentation and in compliance with urban planning standards and regulations.
Greenhouse owners, regardless of their form of ownership, will be required to transfer the filtrate they generate to the designated operator at established tariffs.
The Ecology Committee said modernising greenhouse farms should help improve air quality in Tashkent and surrounding districts through the introduction of modern filtration systems, automated monitoring and energy-efficient technologies.
The committee stressed that the measures aim to balance business development and efficient resource use with citizens’ right to a favourable environment.
