BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10. Électricité de France (EDF) is committed to supporting Uzbekistan’s long-term energy transition, combining renewable growth with reliable, traditional energy sources, said Pierre Paul Antheunissens, General Director of EDF Central Asia, as he addressed the IV Tashkent International Investment Forum panel 'EU-Central Asia Partnership: The Road from Samarkand Summit', Trend reports.
Antheunissens noted the significant presence of French companies in Uzbekistan, including EDF, Total Energy, Voltalia, Suez, Veolia, and Orano. "We are present, active, and continue developing projects," he said, emphasizing EDF’s long-term investments of 25 to 30 years.
Antheunissens spoke about Uzbekistan’s goal to increase renewable energy but stressed EDF’s balanced approach: "We cannot forget pilotable sources of energy, the more traditional ones, because to rely only on renewable, we don’t believe it is feasible." EDF is building two large combined cycle thermal power plants in Sirdaria and Sukhandaria, each with 1,600 MW capacity, to support this transition.
He also expressed EDF’s eagerness to invest in hydropower, despite ongoing discussions with local partners, and ambitions to expand in wind energy, particularly in western Uzbekistan. "We started late compared to competitors but are keen to bring EDF’s technology and capacity in wind".