Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Sept. 22 / Trend D.Azizov /
Uzbekistan will put into operation the second Tupolangsk hydro power stations (HPS) (the Surkhandarya region) with a capacity of 145 megawatts by late 2012, Deputy Director General of Uzvodenergo (Uzsuvenergo) Abdulaziz Zakirov told journalists.
Uzvodenergo, which is in the management of the Agriculture and Water Management Ministry, started construction of a second phase of the Tupolangsk HPS worth 61.8 billion soums (about $ 40 million). Uzsuvenergo will finance the project through own resources.
Within the project, it is planned to install two power units with the capacity of 72.5 megawatts each and expand water reservoir. The project implementation will increase capacity of Topalangsk hydro power station to 175 megawatts.
The volume of water reservoir will rise from 120 million cubic meters to 500 million cubic meters, he added.
Zakirov said that new capacities of Topalangsk hydro power station will be commissioned by late 2012.
First two power units of Topalangsk hydro power station was commissioned in 2006. Capacity of each unit is 15 megawatts each.
The company also plans to complete construction of hydroelectric Gissarak HPS with two units with a capacity of 22.5 megawatts each by late 2010.
The company is likely to commission two small power plants- Shahimardan HPS with incapacity of 2.2 megawatt on the Koks River in the Fergana region and Gulba HPS with incapacity of 6 megawatt - the Dargom irrigation canal in the Samarkand province.
As previously reported, Uzbekistan has adopted a program to develop small hydropower sustem.
Under the program on development of small hydropower by 2010, Uzbekistan planned to build 15 hydropower plants with total capacity of 423 MW and elaboration of 1.36 billion kWh of electricity per year.
In 2010-2014, Uzbekistan plans to build nine small hydropower plants on the country's natural watercourses with total capacity of 323.6 megawatt, the total preliminary cost of $255.7 million.
By 2012, it is planned to build small hydropower plant "Kamolot" at the Chirchik-Bozsu highway (includes in the system Chirchik-Bozsu Cascade) worth about $11.3 million and an annual design capacity of 8 megawatt. Construction of new hydro power plant will produce annually 35 million kWh of electricity, which is equivalent to fuel savings in the amount of 11 million cubic meters of natural gas per year.
Specialists estimate that Uzbekistan has a dozen of reservoirs, irrigation canals and mountain rivers where it can build 141 hydroelectric power stations with total capacity of 1800 megawatts and annual power engineering of 4.6 billion kwh.
So far, six stations with total capacity of 152.2 MW have been put into operation.
At present, Uzbekistan power system includes 42 power plants with total capacity of 123,580 megawatt. The bulk of electricity - about 90 percent is produced by 10 thermal power plants with total installed capacity 10.6 million kilowatt.
According to the Republic's State Statistics Committee, in 2009 Uzbekistan reduced production of electricity by 0.3 percent compared to 2008 - to 49.954 billion kWh. In January - June 2010 electricity production in Uzbekistan increased by 3.1 percent compared to the same period of 2009 - to 25.945 billion kWh.
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