President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a government meeting on measures to develop the electric power industry for the 2025-2035 period Tuesday, the presidential press service said.
Over the past eight years, power production increased by 38% reaching 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. New generation capacities of 11.2 GW have been created. The share of the private sector in generation reached 24%, while that of green energy stood at 16%.
At the same time, over the same period, the people’s income rose by 1.6 times, and electricity consumption in households increased by 21 billion kilowatt-hours due to the use of new types of household appliances. This is 2 times more than in 2016.
By 2030, the country's population is expected to reach 41 million people, and the economy will grow 1.5 times. Accordingly, it is planned to create $45 billion worth of added value in the industry, increase the volume of services by 3 times and launch large data centers.
For this, first of all, a stable energy supply is needed. According to calculations, 117 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity will be needed in 2030, and 135 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2035. That is, 1.7 times more than now.
At the meeting, the Minister of Energy presented a long-term program aimed at achieving these goals.
Reportedly, new power plants and energy storage capacities will be erected. To connect them to the system, 7,000 km of trunk networks will be built, and digital control will be introduced. This will ensure energy balance in the regions.
“If there is an electricity deficit in one province, there will be additional capacities in another place. To implement these works over the next five years, it will be necessary to attract investments in the amount of 4 billion dollars in the National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan,” the report says.
In November 2024, Deputy Minister of Energy Umid Mamadaminov underscored that in order to integrate renewable sources into the grid, it is necessary to have reserve capacities in the amount of at least 80% of the capacity of renewables. At the same time, he reported that Uzbekistan had signed agreements to install more than 2,000 MW of energy storage systems with over 400 MWh total capacity. This is expected to help quickly respond to fluctuations in solar electricity production.
One of the most important goals is to reduce the electricity cost. Currently, the price of one kilowatt-hour at thermal power plants is 5-6 cents, while at solar and wind stations it is on average 3 cents. By 2030, it is planned to increase the share of green energy in total generation to more than 50%. In particular, it is planned to commission 3,000 micro hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 164 MW, as well as small solar and wind stations of 750 MW.
