The Uzbekistan Energy Forum 2026 kicked off today in Tashkent. This year’s discussions addressed both the local agenda and regional cooperation, featuring participation from Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamahmudov, and heads of relevant agencies from CIS countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev presented Uzbekistan's progress in green energy development. According to him, the advancement of renewables is among the country's strategic priorities. To date, the total capacity of solar and wind power plants has exceeded 5.5 GW. Including hydropower, the share of RES in Uzbekistan’s energy mix has reached 30%.
Forum participants paid special attention to the investment climate. Since the transition to green energy requires significant capital, establishing sustainable support mechanisms and transparent rules for investors is becoming a key factor for industry growth.
"Investors are eager to support new technologies, but only if the right environment and mechanisms are in place. Uzbekistan has done a great deal of work to create a favorable investment climate, and investors are fully confident in their commitments here. For Acwa, Uzbekistan has become the second-largest market outside of Saudi Arabia. The country demonstrates high speed in technology adoption and competence building. Our goal is to assist in achieving a 54% share of green energy in the national mix," noted Jon Zaidi, Country General Manager of Acwa in Uzbekistan.
At the same time, the expert community urged consideration of global energy trends. Matthew Sagers, Vice President and Head of the Eurasian Energy Research Center at S&P Global, pointed out that despite decarbonization efforts, fossil fuels will maintain their dominance in global consumption over the next 25 years. Currently, oil and gas account for about 70% of global energy demand. In this context, the development of RES in Uzbekistan is viewed as an effective tool for diversification and reducing dependence on traditional resources.
Vision Invest representative Saad Alqahtani highlighted a concerning fact: 58% of aviation fuel sources have been lost to date. “The process can be described not as replacing one fuel with another, but as adding to or creating it. We need a new sustainable system,” Alqahtani remarked.
“Countries need to change not only the types of fuel but the very approach to obtaining it. Optimization is the core trend, and it is equally relevant for Uzbekistan. We must understand how to maximize the potential of the fuels we are only just learning to use,” emphasized Matthew York, President of Acwa Operations.
The event also touched upon regional specifics in Uzbekistan. Representatives of Uzbekneftegaz noted that significant efforts are being directed toward modernizing seismic data processing equipment. Exploration across five gas-bearing regions is currently being conducted using 3D seismic complexes and other advanced technological developments.
