Uzbekistan’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved an Azerbaijani investor's $5bn project to build an all-season tourism complex, Sea Breeze Uzbekistan, on a shore of Charvak reservoir in Tashkent region.

The approval comes despite still vocal opposition to the planned resort from environmentalists, but ecology and water resource officials have promised strict government oversight over the project delivery. “The Ministry of Ecology will conduct continuous monitoring to identify any risks related to pollution, misuse of resources, or potential threats to citizens’ health,” they said in a statement.

A government resolution published on August 1 outlines how the project will be implemented by the Sea Breeze Uzbekistan joint venture formed with Azerbaijani firm Agalarov Development. 

British architectural firm Scott Brownrigg has been commissioned to author and design the master plan.

The resort will span 577 hectares in Bostanlyk district. It will be directly leased to the joint venture for a period of 25 years, with preferential rights for an extension. 

The development is to be rolled out from 2025 to 2035.

A market evaluation calculated the 25-year lease of the land at UZS 1.7 trillion ($134mn), but the government applied a 0.01 reduction factor, lowering the cost to UZS 17bn ($1.34mn), which the lessee will be permitted to pay in instalments over five years.

Under the approved plan, land will be subdivided into individual plots, with subleasing permitted under the rules of Uzbekistan’s Land Code. 

The Tashkent regional khokimiyat (city administration), along with the Ministry of Agriculture, have been tasked with revoking current land use rights on affected plots to reassign them to the resort development.

Emin Agalarov, president of Agalarov Development, first presented the Sea Breeze Uzbekistan concept to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in December 2024. 

The president backed the initiative and gave instructions for the formation of a special commission, led by the prime minister, to oversee it.

At the time, Mirziyoyev said the project could cost between $7bn and $10bn and called it a potential landmark for Uzbekistan’s tourism sector. 

The resort is to include 10 distinct development zones, a central boulevard, beaches, hotels, cottages, residential areas and public spaces.

A formal implementation agreement for the project was signed earlier this year between Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade and Agalarov Development.

Just a couple of weeks ago, it was reported that the Sea Breeze project would be opened up for public discussion once the official documents were submitted.

The Ministry of Water Resources has guaranteed that Charvak Reservoir will remain under full state control and that wastewater generated by the project will be diverted to a centralised treatment facility. No discharge into the reservoir will be permitted. Safeguarding drinking water and the reservoir’s water quality are “absolute priorities”, officials said.

In an effort to improve the public’s understanding of the project, developer Agalarov Development recently hosted Uzbek journalists at its Sea Breeze resort in Baku, Azerbaijan.