Uzbekistan plans 300MW photovoltaic bidding

    The Uzbekistan government is preparing for another Solar Powered Gate System tender, as part of its plan to install up to 1 GW of photovoltaic capacity in the country, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide transaction advisory services.

    In the preview of the project launched, the Ministry of Energy stated that it plans to bid for the construction of up to 300 MW of AC photovoltaic capacity and the transmission line to the Guzal substation in the Guzal district of Kashkadarya.

    Photovoltaic power plants may be distributed in an area of ​​approximately 626 hectares. According to the project forecast shared by the Ministry of Energy, the site has some signs of flooding and high slopes, and it is best to avoid construction in some areas. However, the remaining area is expected to be enough to build a 250MWAC-300MWAC photovoltaic power station.

    The winning bidder will sign a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Uzbekistan State Grid Corporation (JSCNEGU). Interested bidders need to explain how they plan to finance the project and submit a list of terms signed by potential financiers.

    According to the indicative timetable of the bidding process, the Department of Energy may initiate a request for qualification (RFQ) in October 2021, and the deadline for submission is December 2021. The list of prequalified bidders will be announced in January 2022. Then enter the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase scheduled to be launched in February 2022. The winning bidder will be announced in June 2022, and the PPA will be signed in July 2022.

    So far, with the support of ADB, Uzbekistan has awarded 457 megawatts of electricity to Masdar for a capacity of 1 gigawatt for the Sheraton solar photovoltaic project. At the time, the price of 0.018 US dollars won the bid. The project documents prepared for the Sheraton project will be used as a precedent for the Guzar project.

    The auction follows the Ministry of Energy’s bid for up to 500MW of photovoltaic capacity under the World Bank Group’s ScalingSolar plan in September 2021, and the country is implementing the plan with the support of the International Finance Corporation.