According to the president, the project's location was selected without properly considering the costs of connecting the plant to the gas supply network, resulting in the need for substantial additional investment.
Mirziyoyev also criticized officials for failing to thoroughly examine the terms of the agreement signed with the project investor, warning that the shortcomings could lead to further expenses. He instructed the responsible agencies to review the contract conditions.
Although the president did not name the project, the remarks appear to refer to the nearly 1.6 GW combined-cycle power plant being built in Angor district by SCE-Quvvat. The project's engineering, procurement and construction contractor is China's POWERCHINA.
The project was initially announced with participation from Nebras Power of Qatar, Stone City Energy of the Netherlands, Siemens Energy and France's EDF. According to the latest available corporate information, SCE-Quvvat is currently owned by Stone City Energy with a 75% stake and Siemens Energy Finance Surkhandarya Power Plant GmbH, which holds the remaining 25%.
In June 2023, the Ministry of Energy announced that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Islamic Development Bank would provide €325 million in financing for the construction of the Surkhandarya power plant without state guarantees.
The facility was designed to operate with the latest technologies and achieve an efficiency rate of 63%. It is also expected to save up to 1.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually while consuming about 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas each year.
