In Uzbekistan, a Nascent Push for Green Energy

Uzbekistan is not the first country that comes to mind when talking about renewable energy. But the gas-dependent nation with extensive fossil fuel reserves and a decaying network of Soviet-era transmission infrastructure is making strides toward unlocking its potential for wind and solar power and outpacing its neighbors in the process.

Amidst the energy and electricity crisis, the pursuit of renewables is as much about addressing the threat of climate change as it is about shoring up its energy security. Uzbekistan is appearing to take steps away from Russian energy imports and uncertainties in trading electricity regionally and moving toward new partners, particularly in the Middle East and China.

While the country leads its Central Asian counterparts in planning new renewables, Uzbekistan still faces a number of hurdles in its energy transition away from fossil fuels in pursuit of energy security. 

Uzbekistan has a target of achieving more than 30 percent renewable energy electricity capacity (around 15 gigawatts) by 2030. Currently the country has only two large-scale operating solar farms, each 100 megawatts. The country is pursuing a total of 8.8 GW of prospective wind and large utility-scale solar power via projects that have either been announced or are in the pre-construction or construction phases. 

Uzbekistan’s prospective portfolio includes 5.6 GW of utility-scale solar and 3.1 GW of wind power at various stages of development. Three-quarters of prospective wind projects and nearly half (48 percent) of prospective utility-scale solar projects are yet to reach pre-construction or construction stages, however, suggesting completion of these projects could be a long way off. 

Nevertheless, the bulk of the country’s prospective capacity, 58 percent (5.1 GW), is scheduled to be connected to the grid by 2025. This figure does not count 1.4 GW of capacity that has been shelved or other nascent projects that have yet to reach an advanced stage of development.