TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 9. Rationing natural gas use in Uzbekistan can reduce its consumption by 40 percent by 2060 relative to 2019, the latest Uzbekistan Country Climate and Development Report by the World Bank says, Trend reports.
As per data from the WB report, limited gas availability in Uzbekistan requires a significant shift away from gas across all sectors.
“For example, moving to more efficient vehicles, like electric vehicles, and decarbonizing heating, supported by heat pumps and district heating, can lead to a shift from gas across all sectors. In the scenario where Uzbekistan reaches net zero emissions by 2060, no new gas connections are permitted for heating in new residential buildings after 2035. In transport, no new compressed natural gas (CNG)-fueled vehicles are allowed after 2035. Natural gas is prioritized for the power and industry sectors, while its use is reduced for heating and transport. Moreover, in the NZ2060 scenario, natural gas is not available for blue hydrogen production,” the WB says.
The World Bank’s analysts stress that the power sector in Uzbekistan accounted for 42 percent of energy sector emissions in 2019 and is expected to see the largest sectoral growth.
“With electrification, the power sector’s share in total energy consumption will increase from 16 percent in 2019 to 55 percent in 2060. Among renewables, solar and wind have the largest potential, with 39 GW in 2035, starting to account for a majority of power generation after 2035, while accounting for 30 percent by 2035 in the reference scenario,” the experts note.
Moreover, WB suggests that Uzbekistan’s hydropower capacity can reach 3.4 GW by 2035 in the NZ2060 scenario.
“Other renewables could also play a role in the power sector as well as in heat production: geothermal and biomass have a theoretical potential of 1 GW and 15–17 GW, respectively. By 2050, power exports have the opportunity to peak at 9 percent of generation and imports at 4 percent in the reference scenario, while exports will peak at 9 percent in the NZ2060 scenario, helping to balance solar and wind generation and enabling the use of hydropower and thermal generation from neighboring countries,” WB said.