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New largest HPP to appear in Uzbekistan

15 November 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)
New largest HPP to appear in Uzbekistan

By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan has launched design and survey works on the construction of one of the biggest hydro objects in Central Asia - Pskem HPP.

The new hydro power plant, which will be located on the Pskem River in the Bostanlyk district of the Tashkent region, is set to become the second largest in Uzbekistan after the Charvak HPP and one of the largest in the region, podrobno.uz reported

Its capacity will be about 400 MW and the average annual output of electricity will amount to 900 million kWh, according to a source in Uzbekhydroenergo.

"To date, a construction team has been established on the site of the facility with about 400 specialists working there. Design and survey, as well as geological works are being carried out. The construction works have been started on the left bank of the Pskem River. The new station will allow not only to provide electricity to the Tashkent region and to remove peak loads throughout the system, but will also have importance for great water management in the republic. In particular, it will surely provide water to the agricultural sector," the source said.

The total cost of the project, according to experts, will exceed $800 million, most of which is invested by Uzbekistan itself. In addition, it is planned to attract about $240 million of credit funds from the Chinese Eximbank.

Uzbekistan is the largest electricity producer in Central Asia. Total installed capacity of Uzbekistan’s power plants exceeds 12.4 GW. Twelve thermal power plants, with a combined capacity of over 10.7 GW, and 31 hydro power plants, with a combined capacity of 1.7 GW, belonging to the Uzbekenergo, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Mining and Metallurgical Company Almalyk and the Uzkhimprom Association, constitute the backbone of the electricity sector.

Today there are more than 430 rivers and other waterways in the country with a total length of about 12,700 kilometers. Every year, about 60 billion kWh are generated in Uzbekistan, of which more than 6.5 billion account for hydroelectric power plants. Existing resources, according to forecasts of experts, in the medium term will allow bringing electricity generation at Uzbek hydropower stations to 27.4 billion kWh per year.

During the latest decade, hydropower energy production has been steadily increasing in the country. It is expected to grow mainly by virtue of the development of mini-hydropower plants with a capacity of 420–440 MW and the modernization of existing HPPs.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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