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Arab company builds solar power station in Uzbekistan

7 April 2016 11:45 (UTC+04:00)
Arab company builds solar power station in Uzbekistan

By Fatma Babayeva

Enesol Group of the United Arab Emirates has completed construction of the largest mobile solar power plant in the former Soviet Union, in Uzbekistan, the Arab company reported in a statement on April 4.

Thissolar plant is the next step taken in tapping the country’s renewable resources. The plant has a capacity of 1.2 megawatt and will power a natural gas field and construction site (Kandym group) located near Bukhara city and owned by Lukoil, Russian Energy Company.

Electricity production at the plant reaches five million kilowatt-hours during daylight 1,000 kilowatt-hours during night time. This volume is enough to provide electricity to the town with a population of 1,500 residents.

The cost of the project was not revealed.

However, the solar project was initially planned to be financed by the Asian Development Bank, the Reconstruction and Development Fund and UzbekEnergo company at early 2010s.

The energy mix of Uzbekistan is dominated by fossil fuel thermal power stations (natural gas, heavy oil and gas).The necessity for expanding the renewables arose after findings about depletion of the traditional energy supplies in next few decades in Uzbekistan.

President Islam Karimov signed a decree “On measures on further development of alternative sources of energy” on March 1, 2013. Solar and biogas are prioritizes among alternative energy sources, according to the decree.

Uzbekistan established International Solar Energy Institute in October 2013. The institute aims to assist research and development works in solar energy sector.

The number of sunny day is more 300 days and the potential of solar energy in the country is about 51 million tons of oil equivalent annually.

Uzbekistan is also very ambitious about increasing wind power.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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