Complaints mount over delayed solar energy subsidies in Uzbekistan

One affected resident from Fergana region noted that his payouts have been stalled since May 25, stressing that the bottleneck is becoming a widespread issue across the entire country.

The initiative operates under the state-backed "Solar Home" (Quyoshli Xonadon) program, which was launched on April 1, 2023. The scheme allows individuals who install solar photovoltaic stations with a capacity of up to 50 kW to receive a state subsidy of UZS 1,000 for every kilowatt-hour of electricity supplied to the national grid beyond their own consumption. The volume of transferred electricity is recorded by smart meters, and the corresponding earnings are displayed in the "Soliq" mobile application, where users can transfer the funds to their bank cards. While the public commonly refers to these transactions as "cashback," current regulatory guidelines legally define them as government subsidies.

When reached for comment on the current payment backups, the Ministry of Energy clarified that because these subsidies are funded directly from the state budget, the allocation and distribution of funds fall entirely within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In turn, representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance stated that work is underway to address the situation, adding that official information will be provided in the near future.

The current financial backlog comes on the heels of an unprecedented surge in domestic solar energy generation. Data from the Tax Committee indicates that during the first quarter of the current year, 45,200 individuals sold solar-generated electricity back to the national grid, receiving more than UZS 73,900,000,000. Compared to the same period last year, the total number of subsidy recipients across the republic has increased 3.5 times, while the total volume of processed payouts skyrocketed ninefold.