The Saudi company ACWA Power has partnered with Japan’s Sumitomo for the joint development of five renewable energy projects with storage in Uzbekistan, totalling a capacity of 2.5 GW and a total investment of US$4.2bn. 

The projects include the Sazagan 1 and Sazagan 2 solar PV power plants located in Samarkand, each with a capacity of 500 MW and 334 MW of battery energy storage system (BESS). The projects are expected to be commissioned between the second quarter of 2026 and the second quarter of 2027. They also include the Kungrad 1, 2 and 3 wind projects located in Karakalpakstan, each with a capacity of 500 MW and 100 MW of BESS. Commissioning for these wind projects is planned for the second quarter of 2028. Under the joint development agreement, ACWA Power will offload a 49 % stake in the Samarkand and Kungrad projects to Sumitomo. 

As of end-2023, solar represented only about 1% of Uzbekistan’s installed capacity with 253 MW. The country currently has about 800 MW of solar capacity under construction and over 2.4 GW under development, along with 1.3 GW of wind capacity under construction and 4.9 GW under development. In January 2024, Uzbekistan set a target to reach 27 GW of renewable energy capacity and 40% of electricity production from renewables by 2030 (against 2.7 GW and 7% in 2023).