• Uzbekistan has called out to interested developers for 400 MW solar PV
    capacity to be set up in the country
  • It will be divided as two projects with 200 MW capacity each in Kattakurgan,
    Samarkand and Gallaorol, Jizzakh
  • Successful companies will need to develop, finance, construct, own and
    operate the two projects under Scaling Solar initiative

Uzbekistan has launched a tender for 400 MW AC solar PV capacity to be established in the country’s Samarkand and Jizzakh regions, in cooperation with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC). Both the projects need to have 200 MW capacity each.

The same consortium can win both the projects to develop, finance, construct, own and operate the two projects separately in the identified regions. The Samarkand project will occupy a space of approximately 450 hectares in Kattakurgan district and in Jizzakh the Gallaorol district will use some 540 hectares to set up the project. The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade and National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan have together launched the tenders.

Interested independent power producers (IPP) can submit their expression of interest (EOI) for the two tenders by March 21, 2020. Details of the two tenders are available on the website of the ministry.

Companies who respond to the EOI round will move to the pre-qualification round. Those who pre-qualify will then submit technical and financial bids. The 400 MW AC capacity tendered is part of the 900 MW solar PV capacity that the IFC is helping the to structure under its Scaling Solar Initiative to support Uzbekistan’s plans  to have 5 GW of renewable energy generation by 2030. So far, 100 MW has been tendered and awarded under the program to Masdar for a tariff of $0.027 per kWh in October 2019.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is assisting the country with another 1 GW PV capacity though a public private partnership (PPP) model. Earlier this month, Uzbekistan launched an EOI for 200 MW of the 1 GW capacity (see Uzbekistan Launches 200 MW Solar PV Tender). Its last EOI submission date has been changed to February 29, 2020.