Uzbekistan’s RFP Round For 500 MW AC PV

• Uzbekistan has opened the RFP round for its 500 MW AC solar auction it launched in 2021
• Part of the Scaling Solar program, this capacity is to be located as 3 projects of 100 MW AC, 150 MW AC, 250 MW AC
• The 11 pre-qualifiers can submit their proposals in response till October 10, 2022

The Ministry of Energy along with the National Grid of Uzbekistan have launched the request for proposals (RFP) round for 500 MW AC solar PV capacity tendered under the International Finance Corporation (IFC) backed Scaling Solar program to which it will seek responses from 11 prequalified bidders.

Under Scaling Solar, the country had launched the tender for up to 500 MW AC PV capacity in 2021 to be developed a 100 MW AC Khorezm, 150 MW AC Namangan and 250 MW AC Bukhara projects. For the Bukhara project, there is provision for integration of a battery energy storage system (see PV Tender For Uzbekistan Under Scaling Solar).

Out of 15 respondents to the request for qualification (RFQ) round, the ministry picked 11 potential bidders as pre-qualifiers. These are:

• UAE's Masdar for large scale PV
• Turkey's Alarko Holding for medium PV
• Egypt's Elsewedy Electric for medium PV
• GD Power and PowerChina consortium from China for large PV
• Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power for large PV
• China's Jinko Power Technology for large PV
• Qatar's Nebras Power for large PV
• Consortium of India's ReNew Power Private Limited and Saudi Arabia's Ajlan & Bros Energy Company for large PV
• Spain's Solarpack Corporacion Tecnologica for large PV
• China's TBEA Xinjiang SunOasis for large PV
• France's Voltalia for small PV

Winners of the auction will be expected to design, finance, operate, maintain and transfer the solar PV plants.

The pre-qualifiers have time till October 10, 2022 to submit their proposals, according to the Energy Ministry.

So far, the country has concluded 3 Scaling Solar auctions with over 500 MW aggregate capacity and a 457 MW project with the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) support, all of which were won by a single entity Masdar (see Masdar Wins Uzbek's Sherabad Solar Power Auction).