Uzbekistan plans to increase the capacity of micro and small hydropower plants to 204.8MW by 2030, according to the presidential press service.

The plants are expected to generate 620mn kWh of electricity annually, supply around 350,000 households, save 187mn cubic metres of natural gas and prevent 311,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

On August 19, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was briefed on measures to accelerate development of the sector, which is seen as a way to supply electricity to remote areas, reduce grid losses and make greater use of the country’s water resources.

About 3,000 projects with a combined capacity of 164MW are planned under a resolution adopted last year. So far, 64 projects with a total capacity of 41.6MW have been commissioned, while initiators have been identified for 932 projects.

It was noted that the use of $150mn in concessional financing allocated with World Bank participation also remains slow.

To improve investment conditions, authorities plan to introduce minimum electricity purchase tariffs at auctions and differentiate tariffs by plant capacity.

The measure is intended to prevent projects awarded at a “zero” price from being left unrealised and provide investors with more predictable returns.

Simplified approval procedures will apply to micro hydropower plants of up to 100kW, while projects of up to 50kW will be exempt from certain planning reviews and state architectural and construction supervision.

Authorities will also allow modifications to canals and waterways to create additional water pressure and permit micro and small hydropower plants to be built on water-management facilities for their own needs without auctions.

A digital platform is planned to be introduced to cover projects from site selection through construction, commissioning and operation.

The sector currently relies on imports for about 90% of hydro units and components. The government plans to identify equipment that can be produced locally and draw on the experience of Uzbekgidroenergo, which has built 46 small and micro hydropower plants.

Uzbekistan has more than 173,000km of rivers and canals, with significant potential for micro and small hydropower projects on concrete-lined canals.

Mirziyoyev instructed authorities to conduct a full inventory of such infrastructure and identify additional sites for potential projects.

The government will also introduce dual education programmes to train specialists for the low-capacity green energy sector, with energy companies providing practical training sites.