Uzbekistan has successfully connected two solar power plants to the grid to generate power, marking a significant advancement towards the country's solar energy objective. The Samarkand and Jizzakh solar power plants which have a combined capacity of 511MW were recently linked to the local grid to generate electricity.

Building The Solar Power Plant

International Cooperation Co Ltd, a division of Dongfang Electric Corporation, contracted Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co, popularly known as Masdar, to design and construct the two plants.

11,248 units of Vanguard 1P trackers, exclusively provided by Chinese company TrinaTracker, along with the Trina Smart Cloud digital SCADA platform at the tracker level, are included in the plants.

This project is TrinaTracker's second significant project in Uzbekistan, following the construction of the Navoi solar power plant in 2021. The deal was signed in April 2023. On Wednesday, Trina Solar Co Ltd announced the successful connection of the solar power plants to the grid.

The Government’s Role and the Impact of the Project

Uzbekistan, which was dependent on thermal power, experienced regular blackouts. But with government backing, a move towards solar energy resulted from its central location and a huge supply of sunlight.

Thanks to this assistance and its natural benefits, Uzbekistan has emerged as a significant player in the solar PV market in Central Asia.

According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, Uzbekistan had 3.5 MW of installed solar in 2020, 103.5 MW in 2021, and 252.5 MW in 2022. By 2030, the nation wants to deploy 8 GW.

The Saudi energy giant ACWA Power announced in March 2023 that it has signed multiple power purchase agreements in Uzbekistan for a combined 1.5 GWh of storage capacity and 1.4 GW of solar power.

This new project will produce 1.12 billion kWh annually once fully connected to the grid, enough energy to power 240,000 households and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1 million tonnes. This will promote Uzbekistan's shift to clean energy sources and significantly reduce local power supply constraints.