Uzbekistan sets wind evaluation task

UZBEKISTAN: Uzbek state utility Uzbekenergo, has appointed German renewables consultancy Geo-Net Umweltconsulting to evaluate the country's wind energy potential.

by Eugene Gerden 5 June 2014

Tashkent is the location of Uzbekistan's only wind project

Uzbekenergo head of development Ravshan Artikov said the evaluations would be organised in six regions of the country, starting this year and finishing in mid-2015.

Following this, Uzbekenergo will set feasibility studies for projects in the most suitable regions.

The company hopes several wind farms with a total capacity of 100MW will be built in the country by 2020. This will could generate up to 170GWh of electricity. The total investment is estimated at $250 million.

Regions promising sites for wind farm develpment are Bukhara, Navoi, Kashkadary and Tashkent provinces, as well as the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan.

Currently Uzbekistan has one wind project, a 750kW facility located near Charvak in the northern part of Tashkent province.

According to energy ministry estimates, the country's energy reserves are set for the next 20-30 years (it is a large producer of coal, oil and gas). However the share of renewables in the country's total energy balance is less than 1%. According to state plans, it should be up to 6%-7% by 2030.