Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- During the third Consultative meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia, which took place on 6 August this year. in Turkmenistan, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward a number of initiatives to further develop the regional energy sector.

In particular, Shavkat Mirziyoyev urged to continue efforts to form a common energy space, paying special attention to the advanced implementation of "green" energy and energy efficient technologies. In addition, it was proposed to intensify the activities of the Coordinating Electricity and Energy Council of the Central Asian countries, expanding its mandate and powers, as well as increasing the level of representation of countries.

Undoubtedly, this initiative of the head of Uzbekistan is designed to increase the efficiency of the said Council, to facilitate the coordination of common efforts to accelerate the development of the common energy space. This will also allow the countries of the region to effectively interact on the generation and transmission of electricity, construction and operation of power transmission lines, rational water use in the agricultural sector, as well as export of electricity abroad.

In this regard, today the countries of Central Asia need to unite their efforts in the construction of new power plants, the construction and modernization of interstate power transmission lines. At the same time, the countries of the region can effectively use the complementarity of our economies.

In particular, Kyrgyzstan is rich in coal reserves that can be used to generate electricity. In turn, Uzbekistan has significant experience in the construction of power plants and can provide practical assistance to Kyrgyzstan in this area. This undoubtedly meets the interests of both countries, since Kyrgyzstan will be provided with electricity, and Uzbekistan will receive water for agricultural needs.

In addition, it is necessary to intensify the Uzbek-Tajik interaction in the electric power sector. Both countries can work together to modernize transmission lines, which are largely outdated. This will help to increase the supply of electricity from Tajikistan to Uzbekistan, to make them sustainable. It should be noted that supplies of Tajik electricity to Uzbekistan resumed in 2018. In 2020, the reconstruction of the 63-kilometer section of the 500 kV power transmission line "Guzar-Regar" began.

Mirziyoyev’s initiatives, put forward during the summit in Turkmenistan, are very relevant against the background of the gradual rejection of fossil fuels in the world. For example, in 2020 in Europe, the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in electricity generation exceeded the share of fossil fuels for the first time in history. A number of European countries have planned to completely abandon the use of coal in the energy sector.

It should be noted that energy cooperation is gradually being established in the region. Thus, Uzbekistan jointly with Tajikistan plans to build 2 HPPs with a capacity of 320 MW on the Zarafshan River. Tashkent has also shown its readiness to participate in projects for the construction of the Kambar-Ata and Rogun hydroelectric power plants.

Moreover, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have reached an agreement on the supply of electricity. According to the agreement, Tashkent will supply Bishkek with 750 million kWh. electricity. Instead, Kyrgyzstan for 3 years (2021-2023) will supply Uzbekistan with water in the amount required to generate 250 million kWh. A similar agreement exists between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

This is especially important against the background of the promotion of industrial cooperation projects in Central Asia. The production of Ravon cars has been launched in Kazakhstan, textile and pharmaceutical enterprises have been launched. In Tajikistan, a plant for the production of special equipment "Talko-Krantas" has been established, a textile production has been established, the joint venture "Artel Avesto Electronics" is functioning for the production of household appliances.

Against the background of economic growth, the needs of Central Asian countries for electricity are growing. According to estimates, the annual growth of electricity consumption in Uzbekistan until 2030 will be 6-7%, in Kazakhstan - 2.5%. By 2030, electricity consumption in Uzbekistan will amount to 120.8 billion kWh (an increase of 1.9 times by 2018).

At the same time, all countries have the ability to generate electricity. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have huge potential in the field of hydropower. Thus, the total potential of Kyrgyzstan is approximately 142 billion kWh per year, Tajikistan - 527 billion kWh per year. In turn, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan can use significant resources of renewable energy sources. The estimated potential of renewable energy sources for electricity generation in Kazakhstan is 1.8 billion kWh. The technical potential of renewable energy sources in Uzbekistan is 180 million tons of oil equivalent, which is more than three times higher than its annual demand for energy resources.

To ensure the growing demand of the population and the economies of the countries of the region for electricity, as well as to reform the energy sector in Uzbekistan, institutional reforms have been carried out, a number of important regulatory documents have been adopted.

In 2019, the Ministry of Energy was created, which implements a unified policy in this area. The law "On the use of renewable energy sources", the Strategy for the transition of the republic to a "green" economy for the period 2019-2030 was adopted. The concept of providing Uzbekistan with electricity for 2020-2030, which provides for a twofold increase in electricity generation from the current 63.6 billion kWh to 120.8 billion kWh.

Measures are being taken in Uzbekistan to improve the energy efficiency of the economy, reduce the use of hydrocarbons, and increase the share of renewable energy sources. Thus, by 2030, it is planned to double the energy efficiency indicator and reduce the carbon intensity of GDP. In the economy of Uzbekistan in 2020-2022 through energy efficiency measures, it is planned to save 3.3 billion kWh of electricity, 2.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 16.5 thousand tons of oil products.

For a more efficient use of the existing potential, Uzbekistan plans to increase the share of renewable energy sources to 25% by 2030. It is envisaged to build almost 10 GW of new renewable energy facilities, including 5 GW of solar, 3 GW of wind and 1.9 GW of hydroelectric power plants.

Thus, Uzbekistan stands for the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries of the region in the energy sector. At the same time, the emphasis on "green" energy will help lay the foundation for sustainable development of the region in the context of global warming.

Janibek Turdybaev,

Leading Researcher

Institute for Strategic and Interregional

research under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan