Power outages begin in Uzbekistan due to low water supply

Short-term power outages observed in some parts of Uzbekistan are associated with low water levels, which have led to a decrease in the productivity of hydroelectric power plants.

"The volume of electricity generation at the country's hydroelectric power plants has decreased by almost 23% due to low water levels this year, which affects the electricity supply to consumers", the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan said in a statement.

 It notes that in 2019, the generation at hydroelectric power plants amounted to 6.5 billion kWh, and this year, as in the past one, this figure is 5 billion kWh, which is 1.5 billion kWh less (23%).

“This missing volume would be enough to supply the entire population of the republic with electricity for one month in the autumn-winter period”, the Ministry of Energy explained, adding that the lack of water in reservoirs is observed not only in Uzbekistan, but also in the region as a whole.

“At present, all measures are being taken in our country to generate electricity in the planned volumes at thermal power plants,” the Ministry of Energy assured.

Today, Uzbekistan's demand for electricity is 69 billion kWh, by 2030 it will grow to 112 billion kWh. In May 2019, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a bill according to which producers and consumers of energy from alternative energy sources in the republic will receive tax incentives.

The authorities plan to increase the use of solar and wind energy to 8% and 7% by 2030, respectively. In the next decade, it is planned to launch up to 30 GW of additional energy sources, including 5 GW of solar, 3.8 GW of water and up to 3 GW of wind.