Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan plans to change how electricity generation projects are selected, shifting from an investor-led approach to a system in which the government assesses demand for new capacity in advance and offers prepared sites through open tenders. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the plans on 16 October at a meeting with investors in the fuel and energy sector.
The president recalled that during the early development of renewable energy, companies often proposed construction sites themselves. This approach helped accelerate the launch of solar and wind power plants and attract substantial investment.
However, it also led to a concentration of generation facilities in certain regions, increasing the cost of transmitting electricity to consumers in other parts of the country. Mirziyoyev said further development of the sector should take into account the needs of the entire power system rather than those of individual projects alone.
Under the proposed approach, the authorities will determine the required generation capacity for each region, develop projects accordingly and put them up for competitive bidding. Investors will be able to review implementation conditions in advance, including land locations, grid connection parameters and timelines, electricity procurement arrangements and payment procedures.
Mirziyoyev also stressed the need to ensure equal conditions for all market participants.
The government plans to pay particular attention to payment discipline and mechanisms that can reduce investment risks.
The first stage will involve tenders for six solar and wind power projects with a combined capacity of 2,200 MW. The president invited interested companies to participate.
Reform of the system for preparing energy investment projects was also discussed on 22 September. At the time, officials noted that coordinating land allocation, grid connections, tariffs and investment agreement terms with various government agencies complicated and delayed project launches.
The existing procedure can also lead to overlapping responsibilities among agencies and make it harder to plan capacity in line with overall electricity demand.
Under the proposed system, the government will first assess future electricity demand, then determine the generation capacity and infrastructure required. Investors will be offered projects for which technical conditions have already been established.
During the 16 October meeting, Mirziyoyev also announced the signing of agreements for six major energy projects worth a total of US$4.7 billion.
The projects envisage the development of 3,000 MW of power generation capacity and electricity storage systems with a capacity of 400 MW.
