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President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has announced the development of a National General Plan for the energy sector extending to 2050, marking a significant departure from the investor-driven approach that shaped the country’s early green energy expansion. The announcement came during an open dialogue with investors in the fuel and energy sector, where Mirziyoyev outlined a series of structural changes intended to replace fragmented, investor-chosen capacity with a coherent, state-planned grid.
The government has set two firm deadlines for the plan’s rollout: a network connection capability map is to be published by 1 March 2027, with the full general plan to follow by 1 July 2027. The documents are intended to allow investors and energy producers to assess expected demand growth, infrastructure requirements, and available capacity when drawing up their own long-term strategies.
From Investor Choice to Competitive Tender
During the initial phase of Uzbekistan’s green energy reforms, authorities allowed investors to select the locations for new power stations themselves — a deliberate policy to attract capital quickly and build renewable capacity at pace. The approach succeeded in drawing large investments into the sector, but it produced a patchwork of generating facilities spread across disparate sites with little coordination. The consequence has been a marked increase in electricity transmission costs as power is moved from isolated stations to where it is actually needed.
«Нам нужны не отдельные электростанции, а непрерывно связанная энергетическая система», — подчеркнул глава Узбекистана.
Mirziyoyev stressed that what is needed is not individual power stations but a continuously connected energy system. Under the new framework, projects for new generating capacity will be designed around regional energy needs and then put to competitive tender in a ready-to-bid form. Equal requirements will apply to all investors, and mechanisms to ensure payment discipline and reduce project risk are to be introduced.
Each project will have its location, land area, grid connection point, commissioning deadline, and electricity purchase price determined in advance. A selection process under the new rules is set to begin shortly for six solar and wind power plants with a combined capacity of 2.2 GW.
Regional Demand and the Fergana Valley
The structural shift is partly driven by growing regional imbalances. Parts of the Fergana Valley — covering Andijan, Namangan, and Fergana regions — already depend on electricity supplied from other parts of the country. That dependence is intensifying as new large enterprises and industrial zones come online, placing additional strain on distribution networks.
Mirziyoyev also pointed to data centres and artificial intelligence infrastructure as accelerating drivers of electricity demand. Sites for such facilities will in future be selected in advance, taking into account available grid capacity and proximity to green energy sources. Each major data centre project will be required to incorporate primary and backup power supply systems, energy storage, and cooling infrastructure, with investors expected to present solutions for efficient use of both electricity and water.
Carbon Certificates and Green Revenue Streams
The reforms also introduce new revenue mechanisms for renewable energy producers. Green energy generators will be able to increase income through the sale of energy certificates and carbon units. The government has indicated that mechanisms for the fair distribution of revenues from these instruments will be developed in line with international environmental obligations and existing contracts, though specific details of how proceeds will be allocated have not yet been announced.
Mirziyoyev underlined that generating, distribution, and storage capacity must function as an integrated whole rather than as separate components. The emphasis on unified infrastructure — running from power production through transmission to end consumers — reflects the central logic behind the 2050 plan: that the cost and reliability problems created by the earlier, decentralised approach require a systemic rather than a project-by-project response.