Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on investment projects aimed at improving waste management, processing waste and generating electricity.
Six waste-to-energy projects are planned for implementation in Uzbekistan in 2026–2027, using waste incineration to generate electricity.
The projects have a combined value of US$933 million and are being implemented in cooperation with Chinese companies.
As of 1 September, US$286.8 million had already been invested in the projects. Domestic goods and services worth US$76.6 million had been procured, while about 2,000 local workers had been involved in construction.
The projects will cover Kashkadarya, Samarkand, Tashkent, Andijan, Ferghana and Namangan regions.
The plants in Kashkadarya and Samarkand regions are scheduled to begin operations in 2026, while facilities in the other regions are expected to be commissioned in 2027.
Once all six plants reach full capacity, they are expected to process 3.6 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually and generate 1.6 billion kWh of electricity. This is expected to help Uzbekistan gradually move towards a “zero waste” principle, reduce pressure on landfills and improve environmental conditions.
The presentation also included five additional prospective waste-to-energy projects proposed by companies from Singapore, South Korea and China. The total value of these initiatives is estimated at US$625 million.
The new projects are planned for Karakalpakstan, Jizzakh, Surkhandarya, Bukhara and Khorezm regions. Once implemented, they are expected to process 1.9 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually and generate 635 million kWh of electricity.
The projects are also expected to create 500 jobs, reduce natural gas consumption by 158 million cubic metres annually and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 316,000 tonnes.
The discussion included a comparative analysis of the costs of constructing landfills and waste incineration plants, land requirements, budget revenues and environmental efficiency. The participants also reviewed measures to minimize the environmental impact of waste incineration, taking into account international experience and investors’ commitments.
Mirziyoyev instructed officials to accelerate implementation of the investment projects, ensure the necessary infrastructure and organizational conditions for investors, increase localization and strengthen the training of qualified specialists for the sector.
A separate task was set to establish a personnel reserve for waste incineration plants.
In cooperation with Green University, Samarkand State University and Karshi State University, a reserve of 1,000 specialists is planned to be trained.
