Saudi Arabian ACWA Power will build a power plant and 2 wind farms in Uzbekistan valued at USD 2.5 billion

Following agreements signed in March 2020, cooperation between the Uzbekistan Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, and ACWA Power has led to three major milestones in the development of power projects to enable Uzbekistan’s ambitious energy transformation plan and increase energy capacity by 2500MW.
The ground-breaking ceremony of the 1500MW Sirdarya CCGT plant, followed by the signing of two Power Purchase Agreements and Investment Agreements for two wind power plants located in Bukhara and Navoi, was conducted in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, and H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Energy Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as a Saudi Arabian delegation led by H.E. Eng Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment for Saudi Arabia and H.E. Hisham Mishal Al- Suwailem, the Saudi Ambassador to Uzbekistan. Other attendees included senior representatives from the Uzbekistan Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, ACWA Power and Air Products.
ACWA Power will be delivering these three projects utilising its technical knowledge, expertise, and experience, to contribute directly to meeting Uzbekistan’s growing yearly electricity demand, which is expected to reach 110 billion kWh by 2030. The company’s contribution is also aligned with Uzbekistan’s national mandate to increase energy efficiency, introduce energy-saving technologies, and develop and implement renewable energy sources, under its recent energy sector reforms.
Sirdarya CCGT
• The project will provide cleaner, more efficient and cost-competitive gas power that can be utilised across industries in Uzbekistan
• is expected to meet 15 % of power demand in Uzbekistan and comprise of 8 % of installed power capacity when complete
• with an approximate aggregate worth of USD 1.2 billion, the plant has an efficiency rate of over 60 %
• it will save almost twice the natural gas currently used for electricity production compared with older plants in the country
Bukhara & Navoi wind projects
• an aggregate power generation capacity of 1000 MW
• the Bash and Dzhankeldy plants have a total investment value of USD 1.3 billion
• expected to offset 1.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
• powered by approximately 200 wind turbines, the projects will contribute ⅓ of Uzbekistan’s 3GW wind energy targets
• will supply 2.7 million households
• support the government’s aims to have 30 % of its power capacity from renewable sources by 2030
According to the agreement, the Syrdarya thermal power plant, will be operational at the end of 2023 to generate 12 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.  The construction of the wind power plants in Navoi and Bukhara will be completed in 2024.
ACWA Power is also committed to training and upskilling 1000 local employees in Uzbekistan during the project’s construction and operation phases.