China Energy to build 1 GW photovoltaic power plants in two regions

A delegation from China Energy arrived in Uzbekistan to discuss the implementation of joint projects, the MIIT press service reported.

The board chairman of the company, Sun Hailiang, held talks with the head of the ministry, Laziz Kudratov. The meeting discussed the prospects for cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources, as well as in the chemical sector.

In particular, Kudratov and Sun considered the creation of photoelectric power plants in Kashkadarya and the Bukhara region with a total capacity of 1 GW. In addition, the progress of construction of a cement plant with a capacity of 3 million tons annually in the Samarkand region was discussed.

The parties agreed to speed up the work on the projects. By the end of the year, it is planned to launch the first stage of a 400 MW solar power plant, as well as a cement plant. The commissioning of the second stage of power plants (600 MW) is scheduled for 2024.

The agreement, signed with China Energy in February, also provided for the creation of a solar power plant near Samarkand. The total capacity of power plants in the three regions was to be 2 GW, noted economist Otabek Bakirov.

He also noted that reports on negotiations with a Chinese company did not mention the price of 1 kWh of generated energy. The deal itself was formalized without a tender.

Bakirov stressed that no plans had been previously reported to build a cement plant in the Samarkand region. He raised a number of questions about the project, including its fuel supply, as well as potential negative effects on the environment and public health.