Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 4
By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:
Uzbekistan’s water energy operator Uzbekgidroenergo plans to build four hydropower plants with a capacity of more than 30 megawatts by 2025, 16 new small hydropower plants and modernize 21 operating hydropower plants, Uzbek media reported referring to the concept of developing the hydropower industry of Uzbekistan for 2020-2024.
In order to ensure the simultaneous construction of large and small hydropower plants and the modernization of existing hydropower plants, funding for projects is planned at 69-19-12 percent proportion respectively.
As a result, the annual electricity generation will increase by 2,826 million kilowatt-hours, while the total number of hydropower plants in the Uzbekgidroenergo structure will reach 57, with a total electricity generation of 9,343 million kWh.
Uzbekistan plans to spend $2.63 billion to implement these projects, of which $2.04 billion will be own funds and $643 million will be loan funds.
Electricity generation in Uzbekistan is less diversified and the main power source is natural gas. Over 80 percent of the electric capacity in Uzbekistan is provided by natural gas, followed by hydropower – more than 10 percent, and coal – 5 percent.
Currently, there are two main electricity generating companies in the country, namely, Uzbekenergo, which generates about 90 percent of total electricity production at thermal power plants, and Uzbekgidroenergo with 37 hydropower plants, which provides about 10 percent of electricity generation with transmission to the unified power grid.
The total capacity of generating stations in Uzbekistan is 14,100 MW with an annual electricity generation of more than 70 billion kW/h. Hydropower plants with a total capacity of 1,854 MW generate about 6.5 billion kW/h of electricity, depending on the water level of the year.
The known hydropower potential of Uzbekistan is estimated at 27.5 billion kWh per year. Currently, the country uses only about 30 percent of its hydropower potential.
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