In Uzbekistan, the buyback rate for surplus solar energy produced by businesses could drop from 800 soums per kWh to just 250 soums. This issue was raised during a Liberal Democratic Party meeting with business owners on May 4. One entrepreneur shared his concerns:
“We’ve installed 350 kW of solar panels at our factory and were planning to add another 350 kW. Under current law, we sell our excess electricity back to the state at 800 soums. However, a draft document circulating on social media suggests we will soon be forced to sell it for only 250 soums. Where is the fairness in that? We buy power from the state at 1,000 soums, but they want to buy it back from us for 250? We are now questioning whether expanding our solar capacity even makes financial sense.”
MP Bobur Bekmurodov confirmed that the relevant committee in the Legislative Chamber is looking into the matter.
“We are aware of this issue and have begun an investigation,” Bekmurodov stated. “Many entrepreneurs have invested billions in solar energy. Beyond the price drop, there are also issues with payment delays and bureaucratic hurdles. We need to assess the full scale of the problem. Many people across the country took a risk and invested based on the 800-soum guarantee. We must determine exactly how a shift to 250 soums would impact them.”
“Secondly, as a committee, we need to examine the rationale behind the 250-soum figure and see the actual calculations. There are deeper issues at play here: if the state buys from entrepreneurs at 250 soums, what is it paying other producers? Is that price gap proportional or not? We will certainly investigate all of this,” he said.
Bekmurodov added that the government had not made a long-term commitment to purchase electricity from businesses specifically at the 800-soum rate.
Aktam Khaitov, chairman of UzLiDeP, acknowledged that entrepreneurs are facing more than just a “change in the rules of the game.” They are also struggling with the state’s failure to fulfill existing obligations, such as timely payments for the electricity already purchased.
“Our committee has the authority to handle this systematically. We plan to organize a parliamentary oversight hearing through our faction and then elevate the issue to a higher level. In the meantime, we will conduct a thorough legal review: how were the contracts drafted, and what were the specific responsibilities of each party?” Khaitov stated.
A 2021 presidential decree established that the government would guarantee the purchase of surplus energy from solar, wind, and biogas plants (up to 1 MW) installed by individuals and businesses for at least 10 years. The rate was set at 80% of the tariff established for Category II consumers. However, a draft document released for public discussion by the Ministry of Economy and Finance in October 2025 proposed reducing that 80% benchmark to 70%.
