After a successful first auction round under the World Bank Group's Scaling Solar program that saw Masdar winning 100 MW tendered capacity with $0.027 per kWh, Uzbekistan has now officially confirmed to launch tenders for another 900 MW solar PV capacity by signing a mandate with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Though the World Bank Group entity, the IFC, did not specify the timeline of the tender launch, it disclosed that two solar projects of 200 MW each will be tendered in the coming months, followed by another round with 500 MW capacity, all through public private partnerships (PPP).
This would complete the commitment of the IFC to help Uzbekistan add up to 1 GW of solar power under Scaling Solar. Overall, the country is looking to add by 2030 up to 5 GW PV.
"We are proud to support the positive momentum for private sector led growth in Uzbekistan – I am pleased to see the government moving quickly to tender another 900 MW of solar power, which will help attract close to a billion dollars of private investment and generate reliable and clean energy for the country's people," said Georgina Baker, IFC vice president, Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe and Central Asia. "The announcement of the two additional PPP projects immediately after the success of the first solar tender is a testament to Uzbekistan's commitment to embrace the private sector."
Another Asian country that's taking the bank's help for its PV ambitions is Afghanistan where a request for prequalification round for 40 MW capacity was launched last week (see 40 MW Scaling Solar Tender In Afghanistan).
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