President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during a working visit to the Republic of Karakalpakstan, took part in a solemn ceremony to launch new production facilities and commence the construction of large-scale initiatives. The event marked a significant step for the region's economy, highlighting the practical results of ongoing reforms.
In recent years, favorable conditions for business and investment have been created in the region, leading to a rise in the gross regional product from 8.5 trillion soums in 2016 to over 54 trillion soums by the beginning of this year. The share of the private sector in production reached 66%, and the number of active business entities increased 2.5 times to 26,500. These figures indicate a substantial increase in economic activity in the region.
Over the past nine years, more than $5 billion in investments have been attracted to the economy of Karakalpakstan, and by the end of the current year, the volume of foreign investments is expected to reach $2.5 billion. The number of active foreign and joint ventures has grown 2.2 times to 271. During the ceremony, 11 projects worth a total of $592 million were officially commissioned, and construction began on 47 new initiatives worth $7 billion, which will create 8,000 high-income jobs.
Among the launched facilities, two wind power plants with a total capacity of 300 MW and an energy storage system with a capacity of 100 MW began operations in the Karauzyak district. In Nukus, the Sheikh Khalifa Hospital with 100 beds, built in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates for $27 million and creating 80 jobs, was commissioned. Additionally, the Karakalpak Scientific and Practical Medical Academy, aimed at improving the qualifications of local specialists, has started operations in the regional capital.
In the Takhiatash district, the first phase of the modular intelligent computing center of the "Linkwise" enterprise, worth $150 million, was launched, and the transport infrastructure of Nukus was enhanced by the project of "SAPSAN TRANS NO‘KIS" worth $20 million, under which 25 buses and electric buses have already been delivered, with another 75 electric buses expected by the end of the year.
New construction projects cover energy, transport, digital economy, industry, medicine, and services. In the Kungrad district, with the participation of the Saudi company "ACWA," the active phase of constructing a large wind power plant with a capacity of 1.5 GW worth $2.6 billion has begun, involving the laying of 1,500 kilometers of high-voltage networks and the construction of three 500 kV substations.
In the Chimbay district, together with investors from the Republic of Korea, the production of 3 million cubic meters of biogas per year from licorice root processing has started for the first time in the country. To improve transport connectivity, with the support of the Asian Development Bank, work has begun on the 92-kilometer section of the A-380 highway "Guzar – Bukhara – Nukus – Beyneu" worth $233 million, and a project for the purchase of 112 electric buses for Nukus has been signed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
In the Kungrad and Takhiatash districts, with the participation of Chinese partners, large-scale projects are being implemented to create data centers for artificial intelligence and digital currency production with a total value of $2.281 billion, and a similar data center will appear in the Takhtakupyr district.
In Nukus, construction has begun on a thermal waste processing plant for electricity generation, gold mining worth $20 million will start at the "Zengibobo" deposit, a large shopping center worth $15 million will be built in the Amudarya district, and together with Indian partners, a medical university and a high-tech clinic are being created on the basis of public-private partnership. Turkish investors will build an entertainment and shopping complex worth $103 million in Nukus on the bank of the "Dustlik" canal. Furthermore, in the regional capital, on an area of 270 hectares, the construction of the "New Uzbekistan" residential area for 30,000 residents will begin.
Recall that earlier, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the activities of the Karakalpak Scientific and Practical Medical Academy, which was established as a base center for retraining medical personnel based on international standards and advanced technologies.
Source: podrobno.uz