️ Uzbekistan plans to implement six major waste-to-energy projects with the participation of Chinese companies in 2026–2027. According to data presented to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on September 10, the total cost of these projects is $933 million. As of September 1, $286.8 million in investments have been utilized under the projects, local procurement of goods and services has reached $76.6 million, and 2,000 local workers have been employed in construction.
️ The projects will be implemented in the Kashkadarya, Samarkand, Tashkent, Andijan, Fergana, and Namangan regions. The plants in Kashkadarya and Samarkand are scheduled to be commissioned in 2026, and the remaining capacities in 2027. Once fully operational, the enterprises will process 3.6 million tons of municipal solid waste annually and generate 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. This will facilitate a gradual transition to the “zero waste” principle, reduce the burden on landfills, and improve the environmental situation.
️ Sharifbek Khasanov, Director of the Agency for Waste Management and Circular Economy Development, noted in an interview with the “Uzbekistan 24” TV channel that the president approved the construction of six plants last year. “Two of them will be commissioned by the end of this year and will begin generating the electricity needed by our population. Today's presentation was about building five more similar plants in five regions and attracting new investments into the economy. Five plants worth $625 million will be launched at the end of 2027, and together we will achieve the generation of 635 million kilowatt-hours of electricity,” he said.
️ The five investment projects were presented by companies from Singapore, South Korea, and China. Their total cost is $625 million. The projects are planned for Karakalpakstan and the Jizzakh, Surkhandarya, Bukhara, and Khorezm regions. As a result, 1.9 million tons of municipal solid waste will be processed annually, and 635 million kilowatt-hours of electricity will be generated. 500 new jobs will be created, 158 million cubic meters of natural gas will be saved, and greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 316,000 tons.
️ Sharifbek Khasanov emphasized the environmental safety of the waste incineration plants: “One might think that waste incineration plants harm people, but these plants will operate as environmentally clean facilities. After the plants are completed in our eco-industrial zones, we will also invite our citizens.” According to him, the ash generated after waste incineration will be processed by investors to create added value and exported to their countries. This will create an additional export base.
️ These measures also meet the task of reducing the number of landfills by 50%. “In our eco-industrial zones, we cover the reception and incineration of waste from all regions. The flow of waste to landfills will decrease by 40%, and we will send the remaining waste for recycling, developing recycling and further preventing our waste from going to landfills,” he said. In the future, it is planned to create gardens and parks on the sites of landfills.
️ In October 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, speaking about projects for processing household waste and producing electricity and products from it, called this sector “not just plants, but one of the issues of fateful significance.” In March 2025, he signed a decree on the implementation of projects for electricity generation by incinerating municipal solid waste. One such project is being implemented in Samarkand in cooperation with the Chinese company Shanghai SUS Environment. The SUS Environment Samarkand plant is being built on the territory of the central landfill located in the “Navruz” mahalla of the “Khushrav” massif: 15 hectares of the 100-hectare landfill have been allocated for the project. The foundation stone of the enterprise was laid on July 18, 2025, and construction work is currently ongoing.
️ Waste incineration plants operate on the basis of thermal treatment technology of industrial and municipal solid waste in boilers or furnaces. The heat generated during combustion is used to produce thermal and electrical energy.
Source: www.gazeta.uz