Saudi energy giant ACWA Power signed a US$229. 4 million deal in June 2024 with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to develop solar-plus-storage projects in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan; the Emirati state-owned developer Masdar also signed a deal with the World Bank to build 250MW of solar-plus-storage in the country.
Will Uzbekistan fund a 250-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant?
TASHKENT, May 21, 2024 — The World Bank Group, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar), and the Government of Uzbekistan have signed a financial package to fund a 250-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic plant with a 63-MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
ADB said it will be one of the first utility-scale renewable energy projects with a battery energy storage system (BESS) component in Uzbekistan. It follows the announcement of the county's first BESS in May 2024 and the connection of the first phase of a 511 MW solar project in March of this year.
ACWA Power plans to build a 500 MW solar plant and a 500 MWh battery energy storage system in Uzbekistan under a project proposed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The ADB is proposing a large scale, solar-plus-battery system in Uzbekistan.
Will Uzbekistan build a solar-plus-battery system?
The ADB is proposing a large scale, solar-plus-battery system in Uzbekistan. According to a listing on ADB's website, the Samarkand 1 Solar PV and BESS Project will involve the construction of two solar power plants, of 100 MW and 400 MW, a pooling station, 500 MWh BESS, loop-in loop-out transmission lines, and a 70 km overhead transmission line.
Does Uzbekistan have a solar plant?
Separately, ACWA Power recently announced financial close on a 200 MW solar plant and 500 MWh BESS near the national capital, Tashkent. Uzbekistan had 253 MW of cumulative installed solar capacity at the end of last year, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Who will sell electricity to in Uzbekistan?
The project company is committed to selling electricity to the state-owned National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan JSC under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement for the project, including a 10-year operating term for the BESS component, signed by these two entities.