The key facts

  • Syrdarya-2 (1,600 MW) will begin strengthening Uzbekistan's power system in the current winter season — EDF statement on October 16.
  • 75% of work has been completed at the Surkhandarya combined-cycle power plant (1,600 MW).
  • A memorandum has been signed for a 500 MW wind power plant near Bukhara with an energy storage system; EDF is interested in grid modernization under PPP.

Statement at the meeting with investors

The 1,600 MW Syrdarya-2 combined-cycle power plant will begin strengthening Uzbekistan's power system in the current winter season. This was announced on October 16 by Cedric Le Bouch, Executive Vice President of France's EDF for Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, at a meeting between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and fuel and energy sector investors. «We are currently completing construction of the 1,600 MW Syrdarya-2 combined-cycle power plant. This winter season, the plant will begin strengthening the country's power system,» he said on the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.

Other EDF projects

Le Bouch also reported that, together with partners Siemens and Nebras, 75% of construction work has been completed at the 1,600 MW Surkhandarya combined-cycle power plant. In addition, a memorandum has been signed with the company Eolus to implement a 500 MW wind power plant project near Bukhara; the project includes the creation of an energy storage system. According to Le Bouch, EDF is interested in participating, on the basis of public-private partnership, in the modernization of Uzbekistan's power grids: «EDF has extensive experience in electricity transmission and distribution.» The company is also ready to expand cooperation in training personnel for the energy sector, where it already has joint projects.

About the Syrdarya-2 plant

The plant is located in the Bayaut district of Syrdarya region. The project is being implemented by a consortium that won an international tender in November 2021: France's EDF, Qatar's Nebras Power, and Japan's Sojitz and Kyuden. According to data at the time of launch, the plant's capacity was 1,573 MW, and the project cost was $900 million. Annual output is 13 billion kWh; thanks to an efficiency of 61.7%, savings of 1.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year are expected. The launch ceremony took place on August 25, 2026.

Accident and criticism of projects

On September 25, during commissioning work at the plant, 1,600 MW of capacity was emergency shut down. The activation of emergency protection systems led to power supply disruptions in a number of districts; reserve capacity from other plants and energy storage systems were used to restore power supply. Earlier, on July 27, at a meeting Shavkat Mirziyoyev criticized the chosen site for the combined-cycle power plant in Surkhandarya region: according to him, due to improper placement, an additional $300 million will have to be directed to gas supply to the facility. He also noted that responsible officials had not thoroughly studied the terms of the contract with the project initiator, which created the risk of new expenses, and ordered the contract terms to be revised. According to Gazeta, this likely refers to a plant with a capacity of about 1.6 GW being built by SCE-Quvvat in the Angor district; the general contractor is China's POWERCHINA, and Nebras Power, Stone City Energy, Siemens Energy and EDF were among the project participants from the outset.