Uzbekistan, Tashkent, March 19 / Trend D.Azizov /
Uzbekistan plans to attract a loan worth $ 350 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the project to modernize Talimarjan thermal power plant (TPP) in Kashkadarya region (south of Uzbekistan), a source in the governmental circles said.
The project, worth about $1bln covers the period up to 2014 and stipulates upgrading thermal power plants, construction of high voltage 500 kV Talimardjan TPP - Substation Sogdiana, as well as the construction of a new 500 kV substation for Talimarjan TPP. Duration of the project is by late 2013.
The project is expected to be financed through teh foreign banks, Uzbek Reconstruction and Development Fund, as well as own funds of the Uzbekenergo State Joint Stock Company (SJSC).
In particular, the ADB loan will be involved in the construction of two combined cycle power plants (CCPP) with the total capacity of 800 MW and cost about $ 800 million.
The construction of this infrastructure is expected to be financed at the expense of loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and World Bank.
In 2004, Uzbekenergo put into operation the first unit Talimarjan TPP with design capacity of 800 MW. Total construction cost was approximately $ 400 million.
The construction was financed through the commercial credit of the British Ansol Ltd. and equity of Uzbekenergo.
By 2015, Uzbekenergo intends to implement projects worth $1.912 billion to modernize power plants, planning to increase thermal power plants' generating capacity by 1,651 MW - up to 11 708 MW Total. Moreover the company plans to increase power generation from 47 billion kWh to 50.5 billion kWh.
Presently, Uzbekistan has 42 power plants with total capacity of 12 358 MW, including the total capacity of 16 power plants of Uzbekenergo - 12,040 MW.
The rest of the electricity was generated by autonomous thermal power industry and small hydroelectric power station entering the Agriculture and Water Resources Ministry. The potential possibility of electricity production is 56-57 billion kWh.
.Based o the official statistics, in 2009, Uzbekistan decreased power generation by 0.3 percent to 49.954 billion kWh compared to the figure in 2008.
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