Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Nov. 12
By Demir Azizov- Trend: Uzbekistan plans to implement a programme of development and modernisation of urban heating at a total cost of 1.7 trillion soums in 2014-2020, a decree of the Uzbek government said.
According to the decree, within the programme for development of heating, there will be projects implemented to modernise and overhaul boilers, the reconstruction and restoration of heating networks, replacement and repair of out-of-date equipment and distributive heating networks in some 28 large cities of the country.
It is expected that the implementation of the programme by 2020 will enable a saving of over one billion cubic meters of natural gas and 400 million kilowatt/hour of electricity in Uzbekistan per year.
The preliminary feasibility study of the programme must be worked out and submitted to the country's government by the end of the first quarter of 2014.
According to the document's text, the programme is planned to be financed by the state budget, as well as loans from international financial organisations.
To date the total length of heating networks in Uzbekistan is around 5000 kilometres, some 30 per cent of which require reconstruction. There is a high degree of disrepair of boiler equipment with a lifetime of 50 years and it exceeds the norms of the fuel consumption rate determined in the republic while generating thermal power.
The official exchange rate on Nov.12 is 2178.56 soums/$1.