BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 22. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has contributed to the adoption of the public-private partnership (PPP) in Uzbekistan, which paved the way for several landmark projects in renewable energy field countrywide, Zsuzsanna Hargitai, EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia, told Trend.
According to the managing director, the initiative resulted in the implementation of such projects as the construction of the 100 MW Wind Power Plant in Karakalpakstan.
"The first project under the new law, it was also the first PPP project under the EBRD's auction advisory program to help deliver 2GW of wind power in Uzbekistan through competitive bidding processes," she explained.
The bank also advised the preparation of competitive bidding processes for wind generation capacity, including a 200 MW wind project with a battery energy storage system (BESS) and a 1 GW wind park also with a BESS, the managing director noted, adding that the process successfully completed last year and the winner was announced.
"Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s most populous state and a rapidly growing economy. This growth requires major investment in many areas ranging from key transportation infrastructure and public utilities to healthcare and education. It also requires private sector skills, expertise and mobility to implement most pressing public sector undertakings. The PPP is universally recognised as one of the most effective forms of long-term contractual relationship between the public and private sectors aimed at offering quality public services," Hargitai added.