“There is no influence of fuel oil on air pollution in Tashkent” - Ministry of Energy

Previously, it was reported that employees of the Ministry of Ecology inspected the operation of the Tashkent Thermal Power Plant. During the inspection, it was found out that the enterprise uses gas as the main fuel, while fuel oil is used as a backup, which is why the capital was covered in smog.

The Ministry of Energy did not agree with the arguments of the Ministry of Ecology, noting that in the Tashkent region and in the capital, there are 11 thermal power plants and heating centers owned by “Issiqlik elektr stansiyalari” JSC, 6 of which are located in the Tashkent region, and the remaining in Tashkent.

“Fuel oil is used as a reserve fuel for a stable supply of electricity and heat to the population and economic sectors during hours when the pressure in the gas supply decreases. At the same time, the process of using fuel oil has been agreed upon in accordance with the established procedure within the framework of legislation with all responsible authorities, and in particular with the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change.

In order to reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere due to the combustion of fuel oil, filters were installed at the station that meet the specified technical parameters. In the future, it is planned to install additional filters at all thermal power plants, which will reduce emissions by up to 95%,” the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.

It is noted that emissions of substances into the air at the enterprise did not exceed established regulatory requirements.

“Today, until 16:00, 600 tons of fuel oil were burned at the above enterprises. Nevertheless, as of 14:10 today, the amount of fine PM-2.5 particles in the air of the capital was 162 μg/m3. It is considered “extremely harmful” and is 32.4 times higher than WHO recommendations, which once again proves that fuel oil has nothing to do with it, since fuel is burned at thermal power plants on the basis of regulatory requirements agreed with the Ministry of Environment,” the Ministry of Energy noted.