President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on January 28 to discuss measures for the development of the electric power industry from 2025 to 2035 here.
In the last eight years, electricity production increased by 38 percent, reaching 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Thanks to the opening of the private sector, an additional 11.2 gigawatts of capacity was created. As a result, the sector's share in generation increased to 24 percent, and the share of “green” energy reached 16 percent.
During this period, due to an increase in household income by 1.6 times and the use of new types of household appliances, electricity consumption in households increased by more than 21 billion kilowatt-hours. This is twice as much as in 2016.
By 2030, the population of our country is expected to reach 41 million, and our economy is expected to grow by 1.5 times. Accordingly, it is planned to create an added value of 45 billion dollars in industry, to triple the volume of services, and to launch major data centers.
For this, first of all, a stable electricity supply is necessary. According to calculations, 117 billion kilowatt-hours will be required in 2030 and 135 billion kilowatt-hours in 2035. That is, 1.7 times more than now.
At the meeting, the Minister of Energy presented a long-term program aimed at achieving these goals.
As noted, new power stations and energy storage capacities will be built. To connect them to the system, 7,000 kilometers of transmission lines will be built and digital management will be introduced. This will ensure the energy balance in the regions. If there is a shortage of electricity in one region, additional capacities will be launched in another place. For these works, "Uzbekistan National Electric Grids" will require an investment of 4 billion dollars for the next five years.
Another important issue is the reduction of the cost of electricity. This involves increasing alternative sources. Foreign experts also mention that Uzbekistan has great potential for “green” energy.
Accordingly, it is planned to increase the share of “green” energy in the total generation to more than 50 percent by 2030. In particular, it is planned to commission capacities of 164 megawatts in 3,000 micro hydropower plants and 750 megawatts due to solar and wind facilities.
The day before, our country's leader emphasized that it's time to transition to a resource-efficient economy model.
In particular, there is a possibility to create an additional 27 percent of GDP through energy efficiency in industry. Currently, some local enterprises in chemistry and metallurgy consume twice the global average, and cement production is 1.2 times higher.
Therefore, in every sector, the goal is set to save 10-15 percent of energy and to reduce electricity losses from the current 14 percent to 8-9 percent by 2030.
Work has begun on projects with foreign investors worth 26 billion dollars and 24 gigawatts in total. They will use a large amount of equipment and construction materials. This represents a great opportunity for our country's enterprises, highlighting the necessity to focus on localization and cooperation in the projects.
Tasks were set for providing consumers with stable and uninterrupted electricity supply and for the development of training personnel in the field.
The responsible parties were instructed to take all these into consideration while preparing the program for the development of the electric power industry until 2035.
