BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 28. Karakalpakstan
has started construction of a $2.6 billion, 1.5-gigawatt wind power
project in Uzbekistan’s Kungrad district.
This was stated by the press secretary of the Uzbek president,
Sherzod Asadov, on his Telegram channel, following a meeting on the
next priorities of the integrated development of Karakalpakstan,
attended by the Uzbek president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
"The region’s electricity production has quadrupled to 5.33
billion kilowatt-hours, nearly three times the annual electricity
demand of households and businesses," the publication said.
The expansion is being driven in part by new wind power
facilities in Beruniy and Karauzak districts. Karakalpakstan is now
moving to further increase its renewable generation capacity as
part of a broader investment program.
Construction has started on 47 new projects worth $7 billion,
including a $2.6 billion wind power plant with a capacity of 1.5
gigawatts in Kungrad district.
The project will also include the construction of 1,500
kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines and three
500-kilovolt substations, supporting the integration of new
generation capacity into the regional power system.
According to Trend’s calculations, the new Kungrad wind project
represents about 43% of the total $7 billion investment announced
for the 47 projects. Its 1.5 GW capacity would account for nearly
half of the 3.3 GW of new wind capacity planned for Karakalpakstan
by 2030.
By 2030, the region plans to commission wind power plants with a
combined capacity of 3.3 GW, increase the share of "green" energy
to 76% and develop 400 MW of energy storage capacity.
The government expects Karakalpakstan to become one of the
region’s largest centers for renewable energy production as new
generation, transmission infrastructure, and storage capacity are
developed.
