Saudi Arabian water and energy company ACWA Power will build a power plant and two wind farms in Uzbekistan totaling $2.5 billion, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the 1,500-megawatt (MW) combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant at Syrdarya thermal power plant, located in Shirin City in the Sirdarya region, was held in Tashkent.

According to the agreement, the plant, costing $1.2 billion, will be operational at the end of 2023 to generate 12 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year. The project, during construction and operation, is set to employ over 1,000.

The Saudi company and the Ministry also signed investment agreements to construct two wind farms with a total capacity of 1,000 MW in the Navoi and Bukhara regions, the statement said.

The construction of the wind power plants, valued at $1.3 billion, will be completed in 2024.

Uzbekistan aims to generate 40% of its electricity from renewable energy sources, by constructing nearly 30 solar and wind power plants by 2031, according to the investment program adopted by the government of Uzbekistan.

There are nearly 50 thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the country, from which an annual average of 52 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity is produced.

By Busranur Begcecanli

Anadolu Agency

energy@aa.com.tr