President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the chief executives of three major Chinese companies — CAMCE, China Energy and Sinoma Energy — on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Investors in the Fuel and Energy Sector, with discussions spanning renewable energy, energy storage, waste processing, water supply, logistics and oil and gas development.
Among the specific proposals tabled by the Chinese side, Mirziyoyev expressed support for establishing a logistics hub in the Andijan region and for advancing agrivoltaics projects — a model that combines solar energy generation with agricultural land use. The president’s backing of both initiatives signals a readiness to move the proposals toward concrete implementation, though no financial figures or construction timelines were disclosed.
The three companies represent distinct segments of China’s energy and industrial sectors. CAMCE is a major engineering and construction contractor with experience in power and infrastructure projects across Central Asia; China Energy is one of the world’s largest state-owned power generation groups; and Sinoma Energy has a background in industrial and energy engineering. Their joint engagement with Tashkent reflects a broadening of Chinese corporate interest beyond individual project bids toward multi-sector cooperation frameworks.
Sectors under discussion
Beyond logistics and agrivoltaics, the talks covered joint initiatives in renewable energy generation, energy storage systems, waste processing and water supply infrastructure. The parties also considered projects in the oil and gas sector, extending the scope of potential cooperation well beyond clean energy into conventional hydrocarbons.
The breadth of sectors on the agenda — from solar-agricultural hybrids to oil and gas — reflects the range of gaps Uzbekistan is seeking to fill through foreign investment as it pursues an energy transition while managing existing fossil fuel infrastructure. No details were provided on the specific roles each company would take in the proposed joint ventures, nor on the division of investment responsibilities.
EV charging network adds another dimension
The meeting with CAMCE, China Energy and Sinoma Energy follows a separate but related development reported in September, when China Southern Power Grid Industrial Development Group discussed plans to establish a network of electric vehicle charging stations across the country. That initiative, which was taken up in a meeting on 18 September between Azizbek Isoev, adviser to the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, and representatives of the Chinese company, focused in particular on installing charging infrastructure along the Tashkent–Khorezm route.
Beyond the charging stations themselves, the September talks explored the localisation of charging equipment production within Uzbekistan, the development of supporting service infrastructure and the launch of new investment projects in the EV sector. Taken together with the October discussions, the two rounds of engagement point to a sustained and widening Chinese commercial interest in Uzbekistan’s energy and transport infrastructure.
The Council of Foreign Investors in the Fuel and Energy Sector, on whose sidelines the October meeting took place, serves as a formal platform for the government to engage international investors in the energy sector. Holding high-level presidential meetings within that framework underscores the priority Tashkent places on attracting external capital and technology for its energy agenda, even as the specific terms, valuations and timelines for the projects discussed remain to be determined.
