Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Experts from the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies (IMRI) studied the state and vectors of development of "green" energy in Uzbekistan.

In 2022, 411 million kWh of electricity was generated in Uzbekistan with the help of solar power plants with a capacity of 200 MW. This made it possible to save 124 million m3 of natural gas and prevent the release of 164 thousand tons of harmful gases into the atmosphere.

In 2022, hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of 2072 MW produced 6.48 billion kWh of electricity. As a result, 1.94 billion m3 of natural gas was saved and 2.71 million tons of emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere were prevented.

In the "Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026", special attention is paid to the development of "green" energy. According to the Strategy, by 2026 it is planned to increase the capacity of solar and wind power plants to 8,000 MW, and hydroelectric power plants to 2,920 MW.

As a result, the share of renewable energy sources will reach 25%, 3 billion m3 of natural gas will be saved, and 1 million households will be provided with gas for 1 year.

In 2023-2030, it is planned to build 11 large, 9 medium and 8 small and micro hydropower plants in Uzbekistan.

Thanks to the commissioning of new hydroelectric power plants, 5.8 billion kWh of electricity will be generated annually and 1.74 billion m3 of natural gas will be saved.