The 1,600 MW Sirdarya-2 combined-cycle gas turbine power plant is purportedly set to begin reinforcing Uzbekistan's energy grid as early as this upcoming winter season. This claim was made by Cedric Le Bouch, Executive Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Central Asia at the French company EDF, during a meeting with fuel and energy sector investors.

According to Le Bouch, construction on the Sirdarya-2 facility is nearing completion, while a parallel 1,600 MW project in the Surkhandarya region, developed alongside partners Siemens and Nebras, has allegedly reached 75 percent completion. Furthermore, EDF has reportedly signed a protocol with Eolus to implement a 500 MW wind farm project near Bukhara, which includes an energy storage system.

The European representative also indicated that the French concern is interested in participating in the modernization of Uzbekistan's electrical grids through public-private partnerships, citing extensive expertise in transmission and distribution. Readiness to expand professional training programs for the local energy sector was also expressed during the discussions.

However, these ambitious initiatives face tangible technical and structural hurdles. Back in late September, testing at the Sirdarya-2 plant allegedly resulted in an emergency shutdown of the entire 1,600 MW capacity, triggering widespread power outages across multiple regions. Authorities have also previously criticized planning miscalculations in Surkhandarya, which reportedly necessitated millions in unplanned infrastructure expenditures.

Source: www.gazeta.uz