Uzbekistan Tightens Energy System Oversight During Heatwave

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan's Ministry of Energy has held a regular meeting of the Republican Headquarters to discuss ensuring the stable operation of fuel and energy facilities during the summer, maintaining an uninterrupted electricity supply and strengthening state oversight of the use of fuel and energy resources.

The meeting was attended by the leadership of the ministry and energy sector enterprises, representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety, Uzenergoinspection, regional and Tashkent city administrations, and other relevant agencies.

Participants discussed measures to ensure the stable operation of the power system amid an expected increase in electricity consumption, strengthen the round-the-clock operation of energy facilities, improve the readiness of emergency response teams and accelerate scheduled maintenance work.

According to forecasts, daily electricity consumption in Uzbekistan could reach 280 million kWh during the upcoming period of hot weather, while peak demand on the power system may rise to between 13 GW and 13.3 GW. Energy sector enterprises were instructed to strengthen monitoring of power grids and substations, take additional measures to prevent accidents and improve the effectiveness of preventive maintenance.

Particular attention was given to emergency outages at several substations in Tashkent. Following a review, individual officials were held personally accountable, and some managers were dismissed from their positions.

Ahead of the period of high temperatures, the ministry also instructed operators to strengthen oversight of the loading and unloading of petrol, diesel fuel and liquefied gas while strictly complying with industrial and fire safety requirements. It was also decided to temporarily suspend liquefied gas loading and unloading operations during the hottest hours of the day to reduce the risk of fires and explosions.

The Ministry of Energy, together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Prosecutor General's Office, Uzenergoinspection and the Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety, will conduct enhanced inspections of energy and fuel infrastructure facilities to verify compliance with industrial and fire safety requirements.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation of previously issued instructions. Managers were directed to respond promptly to consumer complaints, provide timely information to the public about emergency incidents and strengthen duty systems in the regions.

A separate part of the meeting focused on anti-corruption measures and strengthening executive discipline. It was stressed that employment contracts with staff convicted of corruption-related offences are terminated and that the sector will continue to pursue a policy of zero tolerance for corruption.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the heads of fuel and energy sector enterprises received formal warnings.

The ministry said future meetings would place particular emphasis on the implementation of adopted decisions, the situation in the regions and the personal responsibility of managers for operational results.