It is time for Uzbekistan to transition to a resource-efficient economic model, president Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at a government meeting on 27 January, the president’s press service announced.
In the electrical, automotive, pharmaceutical and food industries, the added value per 1 ton of energy consumed is 15−20 times higher than in the chemical, construction and textile industries, he said.
The head of the state set set a task to develop industries with low energy consumption and high added value while ensuring resource savings in the above-mentioned sectors. An energy audit and the introduction of energy-saving technologies will be carried out at 400 large energy-intensive enterprises.
In the near future, developed countries will only purchase products manufactured using green technologies, it was noted at the meeting.
This year, 15% of production and infrastructure projects will be environmentally friendly, with the share increasing to 30% by 2027 and 55% by 2030.
To support low-carbon projects, $300 million will be attracted from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and other financial organizations.
During the construction of energy complexes, equipment and components worth $4 billion are planned to be produced at domestic enterprises. It is expected that this will increase the share of the green component in large projects from 25% to 31%.
The state of green energy
Over the past three years, 16 large solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of 3.5 GW were commissioned in various regions of Uzbekistan, along with 35 small hydropower plants. An energy certification system for green energy was introduced in the industrial sector. The number of homes equipped with solar panels exceeded 60,000.
The energy sector is one of the key directions of the State Program for 2025, which was declared the Year of Environmental Protection and the Green Economy.
As of end of 2024, the share of green energy in the country’s total capacity reached 16%. This year, this figure is expected to rise to 26%. To achieve this, another 16 large solar and wind power plants with a capacity of 3.5 GW will be commissioned, along with 5 major hydropower plants with a capacity of 160 MW and energy storage capacities totaling 1.8 GW.
The president instructed the development of additional projects with a capacity of 1 GW.
Incentives for installing solar panels in state enterprises, industrial and service complexes, as well as residential buildings, will continue, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said. A total of 2 trillion soums ($154.5 million) in loans will be allocated for these purposes.
Based on the experience of school no. 19 in Bayavut district of Syrdarya region, the use of heat pumps will be expanded in kindergartens, schools and hospitals. Gazeta.uz covered this project in detail.
Rationality and efficiency will be key factors in achieving this year’s target GDP growth of no less than 6% and its forecast volume of over $125 billion.
Deputy prime minister Jamshid Kuchkarov, who is also minister of economy and finance, was entrusted with developing a program aimed at reducing costs by 15−20% and increasing added value through energy efficiency.
