BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 24. The government of Uzbekistan plans to have more than 13 GW of natural gas-fired power capacity by 2030, Trend reports via the CAREC Energy Outlook 2030, prepared by the experts of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
According to the report, Uzbekistan’s total power generation capacities reached 12.9 GW in 2019. Nearly two-thirds of total installed capacity are represented by natural gas-fired plants (8.5 GW), some of which are also combined heat and power plants. Most were commissioned during the Soviet times and use steam turbine technology.
As a result, average power generation efficiency is very low, between 28 percent and 33 percent, compared to the 50–55 percent efficiency averages of modern plants.
However, the government has already prioritized the issue of power generation inefficiency and has started a broad modernization program. In 2020, the new Turakurgan power plant was commissioned. It has a capacity of 0.9 GW and uses a more advanced combined-cycle process.
In addition, the rehabilitation and modernization of several existing power plants is planned, including the Navoi power plant.
"Uzbekistan also plans to decommission 5.9 GW of thermal-power generation capacity, reflecting the poor technical condition of the plants. Decommissioned capacity will be replaced by new renewable and natural gas-fired plants, some of which are already planned," the reports said.
Other power generation sources in Uzbekistan include coal and hydropower. Uzbekistan’s coal-fired power plants have a capacity of 2.5 GW, and mostly operate using technologies with low efficiency.
ADB noted that the remaining share of electricity in Uzbekistan is produced by hydropower plants that have a total capacity of 1.8 GW. Ten hydropower plants, with a total capacity of 1.4 GW, use reservoir technology, allowing them to provide flexible generation. The remaining 30 hydropower plants are run-of-river power plants and operate at a smaller scale.