Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The meeting was held at the Ministry of Economy and Finance with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) representatives.

On the Uzbek side, it was attended by Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Babur Khojaev, Head of the Energy Market Development and Regulation Agency Sherzod Khojaev, directors of departments Khurshed Mustafayev and Abdukodir Yakubov.

The guest side was attended by the Chief Specialists of the Department of Consulting Services for structuring PPP projects in Central Asia, Martin Sobek and Sumit Shukla, as well as consultants Gohan Tosun, Akmal Mamatkhanov, Anuzhesh Dwivedi, and Tursinbek Radmir.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the modernization of energy distribution systems in Samarkand through the involvement of a qualified private partner. This step aims to improve operational efficiency, management, and capital investments within a long-term public-private partnership (PPP) framework.

The International Finance Corporation was selected by the Government of Uzbekistan as a leading consultant in this area.

The Samarkand DSO was selected as a pilot project. This choice was based on key indicators that make it the most attractive for private investors. The possibility of expanding the project to other DSOs in Uzbekistan is being considered.

During the discussion, the participants of the meeting discussed the main aspects of the project implementation. Special attention was paid to the technical components, the definition of key tasks, expected results, as well as deadlines for their implementation.

This PPP project will be the first of its kind in Uzbekistan's energy distribution sector and is expected to serve as a model for subsequent initiatives in this area.