Uzbek officials have signed investment agreements with Chinese corporations for the construction of a wind power plant in Karakalpakstan and a solar power plant in the Jizzakh region, according to the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade (MIIT) of the Central Asian republic.
The 1,000-megawatt wind power plant will be developed by Sany Renewables International Investment. The Chinese corporation plans to build the facility in Karakalpakstan, a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan.
Under a separate agreement signed by the MIIT and China Electrical Equipment International, investors from China will construct a 500-megawatt solar power plant in the Farish district of the Jizzakh region.
The ministry noted that these documents were signed on the sidelines of last week’s Samarkand International Climate Forum. The projects aim to promote Uzbekistan’s green economy, MIIT representatives said.
Plans to construct the wind power plant with Sany Renewables’ participation were previously reported. In August of last year, during a visit to Karakalpakstan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ceremonially launched several major initiatives, including the construction of the wind facility. The project, to be located in the Kungrad district, is valued at $1.2 billion.
Uzbekistan is actively developing its green energy sector. In an interview published ahead of the Central Asia–European Union summit, Mirziyoyev noted that in the coming years the country intends to add more than 50 renewable energy facilities, with a combined capacity of 24,000 megawatts, to the 14 solar and wind plants already in operation. According to the president, this would raise the share of renewable energy to 54 percent within five years and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 16 million tons—allowing Uzbekistan to meet its Paris Agreement targets ahead of schedule.
