Power outages have reached an all-time high in Uzbekistan. The energy ministry has blamed outdated equipment, while adding that it does not have enough resources to solve the problem.

Thousands of residents in the southeastern Kashkadarya region were forced to greet the new year in candle light, with the atmosphere far from romantic following an accident at a substation on the evening of December 31.

The general director of the Kashkadarya electric grid company, Anvar Muzapov, apologised for the incident and promised to reconstruct the substation and increase its power in 2021.

MP Doniyor Ganiev urged the heads of the energy ministry to resign, saying they were responsible for the power crisis.

Ganiev said: “This situation not only provokes sharp discontent among the population, a social crisis, it also reduces economic activity and negatively affects the country's economy. The most annoying thing is that the problems in the energy sector wash away all the positive changes that have occurred in recent years [with reform],” he wrote on Telegram.

The MP added that for people who spend the winter without gas and electricity and who do not have the opportunity to heat their homes, any reforms are worthless. In this situation, the only thing they need is electricity.

“The energy ministry says it has not invested in the sector for 30 years. Where is 28% of the government's external debt or $5.1bn in the energy sector? What is it spent on?” Ganiev remarked.

As an example, the lawmaker pointed to Turakurgan thermal power plant, built in Namangan for $1.2bn, which was supposed to provide electricity to the Ferghana valley. Despite the fact that the Turakurgan TPP was put into operation last year, there were no positive changes in the power supply of the valley.

In October, the government unveiled multi-billion dollar renewable energy projects. In November, the EBRD announced its intention to allocate $150mn towards energy and water projects in Uzbekistan.