Uzbekistan Advances Renewable Energy With New Hydropower Plant And Future Projects

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 20 . President Shavkat Mirziyoyev recently inspected a newly commissioned 3.5 MW small hydroelectric power plant near the Gissarak Reservoir in the Shakhrisabz district, which is expected to generate 17.5 million kilowatt-hours annually, Trend reports.

The project, completed entirely with local resources, cost $1.5 million and will save up to 5 million cubic meters of natural gas each year. The electricity produced will be enough to power approximately 7,300 households.

During the visit, the president was also apprised of forthcoming hydropower initiatives. Among the strategic imperatives is the deployment of 416 micro hydropower installations integrated with kinetic turbine technology, aggregating a total capacity of 12 MW, with a projected timeline for operational readiness within the forthcoming biennium. These implementations will adeptly optimize the hydrodynamic dynamics within irrigation conduits and channels.

At present, there are three hydropower facilities in the Kashkadarya region, collectively generating an aggregate capacity of 49 megawatts. Due to the current initiatives in the pipeline, this operational capacity is anticipated to escalate considerably, with hydropower forecasted to fulfill as much as 15 percent of the regional electricity consumption requirements.

In the preceding octennial period, Uzbekistan's electrical output has escalated by 38 percent, culminating in a total generation of 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. In the year 2025, an additional five micro-hydropower facilities, aggregating a cumulative capacity of 24.7 megawatts, are slated for operational commissioning across the national landscape.

The Gissarak Reservoir, a critical infrastructure asset established in 1987 and subsequently subjected to comprehensive refurbishment in 2004, serves as the operational base for a principal hydroelectric power generation facility that was brought online in 2011, boasting a generation capacity of 45 megawatts. This facility generates approximately 80 million kilowatt-hours per annum, delivering energy to around 33,000 residential units.

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