A seismic shift is rolling across Central Asia as Uzbekistan unveils a €9.46 billion plan to rewire its power system. At the Powering the Future forum in Tashkent, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced 42 new projects designed to shutter most gas-fired peaker plants and lock in a clean-energy future. The government promises that by 2026 every Uzbek home could power up with electricity generated from renewables, storage, and smarter grids. The scope is vast: 3,500 MW of new generation across solar, wind, hydro and gas, plus 1,245 MW of storage and thousands of kilometers of transmission lines.
The package includes 11 substations, 420 km of HV lines, and 6,000 km of high-voltage networks planned, with 1,000 km slated for next year. Public-private partnerships already transfer regional grids to private operators; Samarkand grid is managed by Turkiye’s Aksa Elektrik, aiming to cut losses by tens of millions annually. Rooftop solar across 300 mahallas will total 107 MW; micro-hydro adds 40 MW today, with 65 MW more planned. International investors from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, UAE, China, France and Qatar back the push.
Beyond generation, the program ties into climate and finance: the iCraft project with the World Bank supports 23 million tons of verified CO2 reductions and enables carbon-credit trading; Uzbekistan aims to have 100 domestic companies certified under international green-energy standards within two years. Cross-border projects like Kambarata-1 with Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan strengthen the regional water-energy system, while the Green Energy Corridor with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan would export Central Asian power to Europe.
Since 2017, the country has attracted roughly €30 billion into its energy sector, adding 9,000 MW of new capacity and lifting generation from 60 to 85 billion kWh in 2024. The government says renewable energy will account for 54% of generation by 2030, with 6,000 kilometers of HV networks built, and 1,000 more next year. Achieving these targets would cut natural gas use by nearly 7 bcm and prevent about 11 million tonnes of emissions. Critics warn that such a rapid transition relies on foreign capital and tariff reforms that must be managed carefully. Uzbekistan also highlighted progress on its climate initiatives at COP-30 in Brazil, reinforcing its commitment to international cooperation and green finance.
