Masdar to extend wind project capacity in Uzbekistan
Published by Bella Weetch,
Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
Masdar has signed an Implementation Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to extend the capacity of its utility-scale wind farm project – one of the first of such projects in Uzbekistan – to up to 1.5 GW.
The agreement was signed in the presence of H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Alisher Sultanov, Minister of Energy for the Republic of Uzbekistan, and H.E. Saeed Matar Al-Qemzi, UAE Ambassador to Uzbekistan, during an event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to celebrate the ground breaking on the project, with H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman of Masdar, and H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure for the UAE, attending virtually.
H.E. Shukhrat Vafaev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, and H.E. Sherzod Khodjaev, Deputy Minister of Energy, signed the project capacity extension agreement with Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar.
Masdar entered into bilateral agreements with the Government of Uzbekistan in 2020 to develop, build and operate the 500 MW wind farm project, its second utility-scale clean energy project in the country, and one of the largest wind farms in Central Asia. The project will attract foreign direct investment of more than US$600 million.
Extending the capacity of the project, located in the Zarafshan district of the Navoi region of the country, to as much as 1.5 GW will further help Uzbekistan achieve its objectives of adding up to 3 GW of wind energy and meeting 25% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by the end of the decade.
The 500 MW Zarafshan wind farm is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2024. At a capacity of 500 MW, the project would provide enough electricity to power 500 000 homes, while displacing 1.1 million tpy of CO2.
Masdar signed the power purchase agreement (PPA) and Investment Agreement for the Zarafshan wind farm with the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and JSC National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan in June 2020.
In December 2020, Masdar announced financial close on the 100 MW Nur Navoi Solar Project – Uzbekistan’s first successfully-financed independent power producer (IPP) solar project. The company signed a PPA and Government Support Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in November 2019 to design, finance, build and operate the solar plant. It was announced as the winning bidder for the solar project after tendering the lowest tariff of US$0.2679/KWh in a competitive auction.
In March 2019, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, attended an exchange of agreements, focused on the energy sector, between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mubadala Investment Company. Official documents were also exchanged pertaining to agreements between Masdar, JSC Uzbekenergo and the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade to pursue renewable energy projects in Uzbekistan.
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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/06042021/masdar-to-extend-wind-project-capacity-in-uzbekistan/
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