The Central Asian state of Uzbekistan plans to build 5GW of solar and 3GW of wind over the next 10 years, its government said.
Uzbekistan wants to get 25% of its power from renewables by 2030, with Saudi group ACWA Power, Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and oil giant Total among a first wave of foreign developers already selected to help it meet its goal.
ACWA Power will build up to 1GW of wind under a deal revealed last week, while Uzbekistan also has a deal in place with the French oil and gas group’s Total Eren subsidiary for a 100MW solar project.
Alisher Sultanov, minister of energy, said: “We are collaborating with blue-chip international institutions and welcoming an array of international companies who are excited to be investing in Uzbekistan.”
A statement from the energy ministry indicated a tender for 1GW more wind power in Karakalpakstan will be held soon, assisted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is backing separate efforts to build 1GW of solar, with Masdar already on board.
If realised, the plans would propel Uzbekistan into the renewables big league – the nation only got its first turbine in 2017, a 750kW machine from China’s Goldwind.
A 1GW wind development of the scale envisaged with ACWA would be by far the biggest in the region and rival the largest onshore wind projects in Europe.
Total is increasingly pushing into clean energy via a multi-pronged strategy that spans solar, offshore wind and energy storage.
The oil and gas giant’s current gross renewable generation base stands at 3GW, with plans to grow that as part of a shift towards “low-carbon” operations that could account for up to a fifth of sales by 2040.
