Uzbekistan, UAE's Masdar launch major battery storage and wind projects
Uzbekistan and the UAE’s Masdar have signed key agreements on the country’s largest standalone battery energy storage system (Zarafshan BESS) and approved a development roadmap for a 1,000-megawatt wind power project in the Navoiy region, Trend reports via the UAE company.
The documents were exchanged in the presence of Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev and UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei during the forum “Powering the Future - Sustainable Energy for New Uzbekistan.”
The 300 MW / 600 MWh Zarafshan BESS, the largest battery storage facility of its kind in Uzbekistan, is scheduled to begin operations in 2028. The project will be capable of storing enough electricity to power around 1.3 million households for two hours. A second phase with the same capacity is also planned.
Furthermore, the stakeholders ratified a strategic framework for the development of a 1,000 MW wind energy facility in the Navoiy region, which will constitute the initial phase of an expansive 2,000 MW wind power initiative.
Meanwhile, during the forum, Uzbekistan announced the launch of 42 new power generation and infrastructure facilities worth nearly $11 billion, as well as the start of construction of 21 new projects. As part of these efforts, 16 new solar, wind, thermal, and hydropower plants with a total capacity of 3,500 MW are being commissioned across the country.
The recently executed contracts highlight Uzbekistan's rapidly advancing initiatives to enhance extensive energy storage solutions and wind power production within the framework of its comprehensive renewable energy roadmap.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan agreed on measures to expand train exchanges and increase the reception of grain and food cargo through the Saryagash interstate junction point.
