The key facts

  • Private investment will be attracted to modernize pumping stations and social facilities; income will come from energy savings and carbon units.
  • Tax benefits for up to 10 years will be clarified in the Tax Code: they will cover substations and auxiliary infrastructure at energy storage complexes.
  • The Samarkand approach to distribution grids will be extended to the Jizzakh and Tashkent regions.

Dialogue with Investors and New Energy Saving Measures

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held an open dialogue with investors in the fuel and energy sector, during which he announced the attraction of private investment in the modernization of social facilities and pumping stations based on energy-efficient technologies. According to him, businesses will be able to earn income from saved energy and carbon units. “The cheapest energy is saved energy,” the head of state noted.

Clarification of Tax Benefits

Benefits on property tax and land tax for a period of up to 10 years are already provided for the implementation of energy storage projects. To eliminate discrepancies in their application, the Tax Code is planned to explicitly state that the benefits extend to the substation, control building and auxiliary infrastructure located together with the storage complex or solar panel.

Expanding Private Participation in Distribution Grids

Private sector participation in the energy distribution sector will be expanded to reduce grid losses and improve service quality for consumers. The approach launched in Samarkand is planned to be extended to the Jizzakh and Tashkent regions.

Context: The Samarkand Project with Aksa Enerji

At the Tashkent International Investment Forum in June 2025, the president announced the transfer of the Samarkand region’s power grids to private management, and for 2026 — the attraction of private operators to 8 more regions. In November of last year, the Ministry of Economy and Finance reported the transfer of the Samarkand power grid to the management of Turkey’s Aksa Enerji, which won an international tender with the participation of the International Finance Corporation. Under the agreement, the company manages the infrastructure for 30 years under a public-private partnership model and, according to its 2025 report, plans to invest $1 billion in modernization. The Ministry of Energy specified: at least $350 million in the first 10 years, and from the parameters approved by the president in August it follows a minimum of $27 million in the first two years and a reduction in energy losses. At the same time, the grids remain in state ownership: “Regional Electric Grids” receive the right to operate the assets free of charge without transferring them into the ownership of the private partner. Earlier, Spot reported that OTB will provide Uzbekistan with a $200 million loan for the modernization of power grids.