POWER Digest [May 2021]
Uzbekistan Wind Farm Project Expanding.
Masdar, a global renewable energy company, has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan’s government to extend the capacity of its utility-scale wind farm project in the country up to 1.5 GW. H.E. Sardor Umurzakov, deputy prime minister and minister of Investments and Foreign Trade for Uzbekistan, said at an April ceremony marking the agreement, “Mobilization of renewable energy potential in Uzbekistan would provide a significant contribution to sustainable economic growth and fighting climate change. Along with that, the expansion of clean power generation capacities by Masdar will support our objective to double the volume of electricity generation by 2030. Masdar will become a strong bridge connecting our countries, through which new Emirati companies will also invest in Uzbekistan.” Masdar in 2020 entered into bilateral agreements with Uzbekistan officials to develop, build, and operate a 500-MW wind farm project, Masdar’s second utility-scale clean energy project in the country. The project, expected to begin commercial operation by year-end 2024, is located in the Zarafshan district of the Navoi region. An expansion to as much as 1.5 GW will support Uzbekistan’s goal of adding up to 3 GW of wind energy and meeting 25% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030. Masdar signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) and investment agreement for the wind farm with the