Uzbekistan reduces thermal power dependency, green energy reaches 25-30%

The Ministry of Energy reported that 25-30% of the electricity produced in Uzbekistan now comes from "green" power plants.

Since 2021, 10 "green" power plants—nine solar and one wind power plant (with a total capacity of over 2,500 megawatts)—have been launched in the country. Additionally, there are hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of over 2,200 megawatts.

"Three years ago, the share of thermal power plants (TPPs) in Uzbekistan's electricity sector was around 90% (10% from hydroelectric power plants). Thanks to the commissioning of "green" power plants in recent years, this figure has dropped to 70%. Thus, 25-30% of the electricity produced today comes from "green" power plants," the ministry said.

In the first half of 2024, solar and wind power plants produced 1.6 billion kWh of electricity, and hydroelectric power plants produced 4.1 billion kWh (a total of 5.7 billion kWh). As a result, 1.727 billion cubic meters of natural gas were saved, and nearly 2.4 million tons of harmful gases were prevented from being released into the atmosphere.

The ministry emphasized that this 1.6 billion kWh of electricity covers the six-month social norm for more than 1.3 million households.

Compared to two coal-fired power plants in Uzbekistan, coal power plants produced 2.06 billion kWh of electricity from April to July 2023. Due to the increased capacity of "green" power plants, coal power production was reduced in 2024. From April to July 2024, coal plants produced 1.66 billion kWh (400 million kWh or 19.4% less) of electricity.

From April to July 2023, TPPs used 5.06 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 86.5 thousand tons of fuel oil, and 1.608 million tons of coal for electricity production. In the same period in 2024, they used 4.76 billion cubic meters of natural gas (300 million cubic meters or 5.9% less), 2.5 tons of fuel oil (84 thousand tons or 97.1% less), and 1.162 million tons of coal (446 thousand tons or 27.7% less).

The ministry noted that due to the commissioning of modern energy-efficient thermal power plants, fuel consumption has decreased and production volumes have increased.

For example, in 2020, thermal power plants produced 60.8 billion kWh of electricity with a specific fuel consumption of 333.8 g/kWh. Thanks to modern energy-saving thermal power plants, production reached 69.6 billion kWh in 2023 (an increase of 8.8 billion kWh or 14.5%), with a specific fuel consumption of 307.1 g/kWh (26.7 g/kWh or 8% less).

"Overall, 25-30% of the total electricity produced in Uzbekistan currently comes from solar, wind, and hydroelectric power plants. By 2030, it is planned that over 40% of the total electricity produced will come from solar, wind, and hydroelectric power plants," the Ministry of Energy reported.