2000 micro-hydroelectric power plants throughout Uzbekistan: construction work has begun
Promising sites for the construction of 2,000 micro-hydroelectric power stations have been identified in Uzbekistan. Energy Minister Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov considers it a betrayal not to use the potential of hydropower. The President of Uzbekistan said that “no one believed” when he organized the construction of a small hydroelectric power station on the Ugam River.
The Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan, Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov, said that it would be a betrayal not to use the opportunities in the field of hydropower.
According to him, a program is being developed to use the potential of hydropower in the country.
“The importance of hydropower is to use existing resources efficiently. Here is the Ugam River, through which water flows, the water in it would have flowed anyway. The Ugam-1 small hydroelectric power station built here is different in that it can operate throughout the year, since there is a flow of water in winter,” the head of the Ministry of Energy said in an interview with the Menimcha program of the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov noted that it is more economically profitable to use the existing potential of the area instead of laying large power transmission lines from a long distance. In addition, according to him, the construction of small hydropower plants will lead to a stable supply of electricity to local facilities and reduce losses in the network.
On behalf of the president, a program is being developed for the construction of small and micro-HPPs in the regions of Uzbekistan.
“Now irrigation canals are being concreted, which increases the speed of water flow. It would be a betrayal not to use it. Therefore, there will be a separate program. The possibility of building 2000 micro-HPPs has been studied. During the visit of the president to the Navoi region, negotiations were held with two local entrepreneurs who are working on the production of equipment for micro-hydroelectric power plants, 100% localized,” he said.
Minister of Water Resources of Uzbekistan Shavkat Khamraev said that at first promising sites for the construction of 1,000 micro-hydroelectric power stations were identified, but after criticism their number was increased to 2,000. According to him, construction work has already begun.
At the moment, two small hydroelectric power stations have been built on the Ugam River, each of which generates income in the amount of 200 billion soums per year. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, visiting the facility, noted that due to the reuse of the water flow, the number of such stations can be increased to ten.
“When I organized it, no one believed. There were no such things. A small dam. Money from a place where there was nothing. 200 billion soums a year. It’s only one [station]. If it is 10, then 2 trillion soums. Who will give us [such money]?” the head of state noted.
Chairman of the Management Board of Uzbekhydroenergo Abdugani Sanginov informed the president that in 2025 it is planned to implement 11 new projects, including 10 hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 225 MW, which will produce 1.2 billion kWh of electricity.
There are 25 hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 1,330 MW operating in the Tashkent region, which is 60% of the country’s total hydropower capacity. Currently, four more hydropower plants with a total capacity of 340 MW and a cost of $880 million are being built. It is planned to implement 23 projects with a total capacity of about 2,400 MW worth $4.8 billion by 2028. The capacity of the Ugam-1 small HPP is 1.48 MW, which allows producing 11.8 million kWh of electricity annually.
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