Uzbekistan’s first utility-scale PV power plant was formally connected to the grid this early September, according to reports from various energy news websites. The 100MW project, which is located in the Navoi (Navoiy) Region, was developed by Masdar, a clean energy firm owned by the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi, and Jordan Water Authority. SEPCOIII (SEPCO3), a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA), provided the EPC service for the project after winning the contract last October. The entities that financed the project include IFC (World Bank Group), ADB, and EBRD.

Spanning an area of 267ha, the Navoi project comprises 298,928 pieces of PV modules and can produce up to 278GWh of electricity annually. While the project is designed to meet the electricity needs of more than 31,000 households, it will also be able to satisfy the rising demand from the growing population and industries within the region. On the matter of offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, the Navoi project is an equivalent of a gas-fired power plant that burns around 80 million cubic meters of natural gas annually. Furthermore, the PV power plant is expected to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by around 160 metric tons.

The Navoi project has very important strategic significance to Uzbekistan with respect to new energy development, economic development, and improvements in people’s livelihoods. Once in operation, the PV power plant is expected to help create a local electric power industry cluster and contribute more than US$1 billion into the country’s electricity market every year.