BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10. ACWA Power's green hydrogen facility in Uzbekistan will become operational in June, said Abid Malik, President for Central Asia at the company, as he addressed a panel titled Green Development Model of New Uzbekistan: The Role of Renewable Energy in Addressing Environmental Challenges at the IV Tashkent International Investment Forum, Trend reports.
"Within this month, we will be commissioning our first green hydrogen project in Uzbekistan," he said. The plant will have a capacity of 3,000 tons per year and will be the country’s first operational green hydrogen project. "This is the first project that will be operational, and that will bring Uzbekistan to a different platform in the world of green hydrogen," Malik added.
ACWA Power operates in 14 countries and has close to 79,000 MW of power capacity in development, construction, or operation. Of that total, 47% comes from renewable sources. The company also produces 9.5 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day and is involved in green hydrogen and ammonia projects in both Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.
Malik noted that international interest in Uzbekistan’s renewable energy sector has grown significantly. "Even on this forum, if you look at it, all the leading investors - Emiya Power, Masdar, EDF, Total, Voltalia - they are developing renewable energy projects here," he said.
He attributed this to energy sector reforms initiated by the President of Uzbekistan and the work of key ministries. "The team which His Excellency has put together, including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Economy, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Energy Minister, Minister of Finance - they are all important contributors in converting those dreams into reality," Malik stated.