The key facts

  • By 2030 — 5,000 km of power grids, 16 large substations and 4.5 GW of energy storage capacity; over $2 billion has been allocated to grid modernization over the past five years.
  • For the first time, a National Energy Development Master Plan through 2050 will be developed: a grid connection map — by 1 March 2027, the full plan — by 1 July.
  • The project to supply 'green' energy to Europe via the Caspian with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is moving to a practical stage; promising markets are Afghanistan and South Asia.

Dialogue with investors and grid development plans

On 16 October, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held an open dialogue with investors in the fuel and energy sector. According to him, over the past five years more than $2 billion has been allocated to modernizing the electric grids. By 2030, the plan is to build 5,000 kilometers of power grids and 16 large substations, as well as to bring energy storage capacity to 4.5 GW. Most of the projects are located in Karakalpakstan and the Bukhara, Jizzakh, Samarkand, Namangan, Kashkadarya and Tashkent regions. Priority will henceforth be given to comprehensive projects that simultaneously cover generation, energy storage and grid development; cooperation with investors is also planned in the construction of pumped-storage power plants for long-term energy storage.

National energy master plan through 2050

For the first time, a National Master Plan for the Development of Uzbekistan's Energy Sector through 2050 will be developed and published in open access. By 1 March 2027, a map of opportunities for connection to the electric grids is to be presented, and by 1 July — the full master plan. The documents will identify regions with expected growth in electricity consumption, infrastructure needs, and the most effective locations for new generating capacity. This should allow investors to assess connection opportunities in advance and plan projects with a long-term perspective. The President emphasized that generation, transmission and storage of electricity must operate as a single system. It was noted that part of the needs of the Ferghana, Andijan and Namangan regions is currently met by generation in other regions, and the launch of new industrial zones and large enterprises will further increase the load on the grids.

Sites for data centers and revenues from 'green' energy

Special attention was given to artificial intelligence and data centers as areas with rapidly growing electricity demand. For data centers, the plan is to identify sites in advance with land plots, grid connection capability and access to renewable energy. When designing each large data center, primary and backup power supply, energy storage and equipment cooling must be comprehensively taken into account; investors are expected to bring technologies for the efficient consumption of not only electricity but also water. In addition, 'green' energy producers will be able to earn on 'green' energy certificates and carbon credits — mechanisms for the fair distribution of revenues between the state and investors will be developed, taking into account international environmental commitments and existing investment agreements.

A shift in the approach to siting plants and tenders

Earlier, the President spoke of the need to revise the approach to siting new power plants: according to him, the practice of building on sites proposed by investors led to a concentration of generating capacity in certain regions and increased electricity transmission costs. Now the authorities intend to determine the energy system's needs in advance and put prepared projects out to open tenders. In the near future, tenders are planned for six solar and wind generation projects with a total capacity of 2,200 MW.

Energy exports and the background of the Caspian project

Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that Uzbekistan does not intend to limit itself to the domestic market: the project to supply 'green' energy to Europe via the Caspian Sea together with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is moving to a practical stage. Afghanistan and South Asia were also named as promising export destinations. According to Spot.uz, in November 2023 the three countries discussed this project for the first time, in May 2024 they signed a memorandum of cooperation on connecting the power systems and approved the technical assignment for a preliminary feasibility study of exports via a cable along the bottom of the Caspian, and in August 2024 they agreed to establish a joint venture with an office in Baku. In November 2024, Deputy Minister of Energy Umid Mamadaminov reported that by 2030 Uzbekistan would be able to export 10–15 billion kWh of electricity annually — surpluses after meeting domestic demand. In September of this year, the energy ministers of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, Sherzod Khodjaev and Parviz Shahbazov, signed a cooperation roadmap through 2028 providing for the creation of a 'green energy corridor'. Spot.uz also previously reported on the allocation of $200 million to Uzbekistan by the Asian Development Bank for the modernization of power grids.