ACWA Power commissions 1 GW wind power plant in Bukhara

ACWA Power’s wind power plants in Uzbekistan’s Bukhara region have officially commenced full-scale operations, according to a press release from the Saudi energy company.

The combined capacity of the two wind farms — located in the Bash and Dzhankeldy areas — totals 1 gigawatt. The project operator, Bash and Dzhankeldy Wind Project, announced the start of commercial power generation in early April after receiving confirmation of readiness from Uzbekistan’s National Electric Grids (NEGU).

According to ACWA Power, the wind farms were commissioned nearly two months ahead of the timeline set in the power purchase agreement. NEGU verified that the project meets all performance and reliability standards.

Each of the two wind farms consists of 79 wind turbines, making them among ACWA Power’s largest renewable energy projects in Central Asia to date. The Saudi company holds a 65% stake in the project, while the remaining 35% is owned by China Southern Power Grid International.

In 2022, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and its partners provided ACWA Power with $520 million in funding for the construction of the wind farms in Bukhara. That same year, the EBRD allocated over $47 million for the power transmission line connecting the wind farms to the national grid. In spring 2023, the Asian Development Bank contributed an additional $174 million to the project.

ACWA Power is currently developing several green energy projects in Uzbekistan, including two 1 GW solar photovoltaic plants in the Samarkand region and a 334 MW energy storage system in the Tashkent region.