President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on May 3 received a delegation led by Muhammad Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power, on the sidelines of the regular meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank. This was reported by the press service of the head of state.
The President highly appreciated the activities of ACWA Power, which is Uzbekistan's main partner in the field of 'green' energy. During the meeting, special attention was paid to promising areas of cooperation. In particular, issues of starting the construction of the 'New Tashkent' international airport, building a multidisciplinary medical facility in Fergana, and launching a modern data center in the IT park were discussed.
Muhammad Abunayyan, addressing the President of Uzbekistan, expressed gratitude for the reception. 'Uzbekistan has already become my second home, and I look forward to every visit to this country. Coming here, I always hope for meaningful meetings with you,' he said.
The head of ACWA Power emphasized that despite the difficult situation in the region, Saudi Arabia intends to continue developing relations with Uzbekistan. 'But despite this, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given instructions to strengthen ties with Uzbekistan, which is dear to us, and increase investments, and we are working to further increase investments in Uzbekistan,' Abunayyan said in an interview with Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
According to him, at the previous meeting, the parties discussed increasing ACWA Power's investments in Uzbekistan by another $5 billion. 'We are resolutely moving forward to achieve these goals,' he said.
Abunayyan announced that new projects were discussed with Uzbek partners, including in the field of hydrogen energy and the second stage of the thermal power plant in Syrdarya region. 'Today, when talking with our Uzbek partners, we discussed new projects, including in the field of hydrogen, as well as the second project in Syrdarya, and we will implement all these projects together,' he said.
He also noted that the company is working on projects related to the construction of New Tashkent. In addition, Abunayyan announced that a plot of 5-6 thousand square meters is planned to be allocated for Uzbekistan on the Ar Riyod (Riyadh City Boulevard) boulevard in Saudi Arabia. 'We intend to build a pavilion of Uzbekistan there and implement a large project demonstrating the history and culture of Uzbekistan,' he said.
The head of ACWA Power also conveyed the position of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on the invariability of cooperation with Uzbekistan. 'I repeat, His Highness the Crown Prince instructed me to convey to you that no matter what happens in the world, no matter what the geopolitical situation, this will in no way affect our partnership with Uzbekistan and will not change the pace of our relations,' Abunayyan said.
In June last year, ACWA Power's CFO for Uzbekistan, Sumendra Raut, announced that the company plans to sign a new $5 billion agreement with the government. According to him, at that time, ACWA Power's total investments in Uzbekistan reached $15 billion, and the portfolio includes 19 energy projects, 18 of which are in renewable energy sources.
ACWA Power is one of the largest energy companies in Saudi Arabia, specializing in projects in renewable energy, water supply, and energy storage systems. The company operates in more than 10 countries, including Uzbekistan, and is one of the largest foreign investors in the energy sector.
In Karakalpakstan, with the participation of ACWA Power, two wind power plants with a capacity of 1.5 GW and 100 MW are being built. The cost of one of them is estimated at $1.65 billion. In the Peshku and Gijduvan districts of Bukhara region, wind power plants with a capacity of 500 MW each are being built. About $741 million has been attracted for their implementation.
The company is also working on solar power plants in Tashkent and Samarkand regions. In addition, ACWA Power is investing in a green hydrogen production plant project in Chirchik. PowerChina has been involved in its construction. The project was previously scheduled for completion in December of this year, with an initial cost estimated at $88 million.
Among the new initiatives are projects for the construction of wind power plants in Bukhara region and Karakalpakstan. The cost of one of them is $262 million. Also planned are the launch of two solar power plants with a total capacity of 1 GW in Samarkand region and the creation of an energy storage battery system with a capacity of 334 MW in Tashkent region.
Earlier, it was reported that BCG was engaged to develop a 10-year master plan for the development of Uzbekistan's energy sector.
Source: www.gazeta.uz