Uzbekistan opens tendering process for 200 MW solar park

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy has issued a request for expressions of interest for the development and construction of a 200 MW solar park  inSherabad, in the Surkhandarya province in the far southeast of the country.

The project, which will include construction of a 220 kV substation and a 52km transmission line, is vital for a region which depends on electricity imports, according to the Uzbek government. “The project site is 46km west of the Surkhan substation which is the main hub for electricity supply within the Surkhandarya region and for electricity exports, hence being the ideal location for power offtake from the project,” stated the energy ministry.

A request for qualification call for the project is expected in March and the request for proposals is slated for May. The responses to EOI are due by 22 Feb 2020

The tender will be carried out with the support of the Asian Development Bank, which will act as transaction advisor. The project is part of the 1 GW solar program developed by the government and the lender.

In October, Uzbekistan and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) private sector arm of the World Bank announced plans to roll-out as much as 900 MW of solar power generation capacity via public-private partnerships through a separate program. The IFC also helped the Uzbek government design and tender its first such project, which attracted 11 pre-qualified developers and five bids.

In September, the government kicked off a subsidy program for rooftop PV and revealed plans for a 40 MW solar park in Namangan, in eastern Uzbekistan. The country’s installed solar capacity remains limited, with less than 10 MW at the end of 2018 according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.