TASHKENT, February 8. /“Dunyo” IA/. Yesterday, virtual talks have been held between Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power (Saudi Arabia), Co-Chairman of Uzbekistan – Saudi Arabian Business Council Mohammad Abunayyan, reports “Dunyo” IA correspondent.
The parties discussed the implementation of the current joint projects and further expansion of investment cooperation in the development of renewable energy sources.
According to the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, the process of construction of a combined cycle thermal power plant with a capacity of 1500 MW at Syrdarya thermal power plant worth newscat="%".2 billion was discussed. In particular, the possibilities of accelerating construction work and mechanisms of bilateral cooperation in this direction were considered. The Saudi side announced that the company plans to complete construction and commissioning work by the end of 2023.
During the dialogue, tasks were identified to accelerate design work for the construction of two wind farms with a total capacity of 1000 MW in Bukhara and Navoi regions, with a total cost of newscat="%".3 billion. It was noted that the commissioning of these facilities will provide additional electricity generation in amount of 15.6 billion kWh per year and will create more than 5 thousand new jobs during construction and 300 new jobs during the operation of the stations.
Views were exchanged on the potential areas for enhancing investment cooperation in alternative energy, taking into account the construction of new solar and wind power plants in Uzbekistan. The leadership of ACWA Power underlined the intentions to strengthen the investment presence in Uzbekistan through the implementation of new large-scale projects.
An agreement was also reached on close cooperation to attract new potential investors from among large Saudi companies to implement projects in Uzbekistan, including through participation in the privatization of state-owned banks and assets, using the platform of the Uzbek-Saudi Business Council, established in January this year during the visit of the Saudi delegation to Uzbekistan.
As a result of the negotiations, further steps were outlined for the implementation of joint projects and the elaboration of new agreements and initiatives.
