Voltalia to build a hybrid power plant in Bukhara

The agreement, signed on March 11 during Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to France, was made with the state-owned Uzenergosotish JSC, along with the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade. It concerns the "Artemisia" project, which is set to be developed in the Bukhara region.

The future facility will include a 126 MW photovoltaic complex, a 300 MW wind farm, and a 100 MW (200 MWh) battery storage system.

The agreement will be valid for 25 years for the generation facilities and 15 years for the battery storage system. Construction will begin in 2026, with the solar farm and battery storage system starting in the first quarter, and the wind farm following in the third quarter.

The projected energy output will meet the needs of approximately 2.5 million people, according to the company. Additionally, it is expected to prevent the release of 598,000 tons of CO2 annually.

Voltalia has also reached agreements on the key terms of the Turan Storage project, which aims to develop a 500 MW battery storage system in Khorezm. This initiative was first outlined in a memorandum signed during the Tashkent International Investment Forum in May of the previous year.

Another agreement concerns the reference conditions for a pilot agrivoltaics project to be implemented in the Tashkent region, with its launch scheduled for August of this year.

The initial agreement for the hybrid project was signed in November 2022, with the participation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A year later, Voltalia and the government of Uzbekistan formalized the steps for project implementation.

In February 2024, Voltalia began construction of its first power plant in Uzbekistan, located in Khorezm. The EBRD provided a €50.5 million loan and grant package, with an additional €6.5 million ($7 million) allocated by the European Union as a project guarantee.