TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 20. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev recently inspected a newly commissioned 3.5 MW small hydroelectric power plant near the Gissarak Reservoir in the Shakhrisabz district, which is expected to generate 17.5 million kilowatt-hours annually, Trend reports.
The project, completed entirely with local resources, cost $1.5 million and will save up to 5 million cubic meters of natural gas each year. The electricity produced will be enough to power approximately 7,300 households.
During the visit, the president was also apprised of forthcoming
hydropower initiatives. Among the strategic imperatives is the
deployment of 416 micro hydropower installations integrated with
kinetic turbine technology, aggregating a total capacity of 12 MW,
with a projected timeline for operational readiness within the
forthcoming biennium. These implementations will adeptly optimize
the hydrodynamic dynamics within irrigation conduits and
channels.
At present, there are three hydropower facilities in the
Kashkadarya region, collectively generating an aggregate capacity
of 49 megawatts. Due to the current initiatives in the pipeline,
this operational capacity is anticipated to escalate considerably,
with hydropower forecasted to fulfill as much as 15 percent of the
regional electricity consumption requirements.
In the preceding octennial period, Uzbekistan's electrical output
has escalated by 38 percent, culminating in a total generation of
81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. In the year 2025, an additional five
micro-hydropower facilities, aggregating a cumulative capacity of
24.7 megawatts, are slated for operational commissioning across the
national landscape.
The Gissarak Reservoir, a critical infrastructure asset established
in 1987 and subsequently subjected to comprehensive refurbishment
in 2004, serves as the operational base for a principal
hydroelectric power generation facility that was brought online in
2011, boasting a generation capacity of 45 megawatts. This facility
generates approximately 80 million kilowatt-hours per annum,
delivering energy to around 33,000 residential units.
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