BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Uzbekistan is a key strategic partner for Masdar, Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Chairman of the UAE's Masdar company, said, Trend reports.
He made the remark on the sidelines of the 32nd Annual Meeting of the EBRD Board of Governors held in Uzbekistan's Samarkand on May 16-18, while signing an agreement on the development of new renewable energy projects in Uzbekistan.
"The UAE is fully committed to supporting countries to decarbonize. Uzbekistan is a key strategic partner, and we continue to work together to deliver renewable energy projects that power homes and businesses, while crucially cutting emissions. The world needs to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 to reach the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. As we prepare to host COP28 in the UAE, we believe ambitious partnerships with countries like Uzbekistan are vital in helping to meet this target," he said.
The agreement on the development of over 2 GW of solar and wind projects and 500 MWh of battery energy storage was signed by Azim Akhmedkhadjaev, First Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sarvar Khamidov, Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar on May 17, 2023.
Masdar has been operating in Uzbekistan since 2019 with 100 MW Nur Navoi Solar project, which is the first in the country successfully financed project of an independent producer of solar energy. The plant has been in operation since 2021.
Masdar’s growing portfolio in Uzbekistan includes the largest wind farm in Central Asia, 500 MW Zarafshan power plant. Last month, Masdar achieved the financial completion of three solar projects in Dzhizak, Samarkand and Sherabad, with a combined capacity of about 900 MW, making it the largest solar energy development program in Central Asia. Once fully operational, these projects will generate enough electricity to feed more than a million homes, displacing nearly a million tons of carbon dioxide annually.