Uzbekistan's electricity sector to be carbon neutral
The Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in cooperation with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, with the support of the EBRD and the Government of Japan, enlisted a consortium of international experts (Corporate Solutions, Tractebel and Guidehouse) in activities directed at developing roadmap to explore the possibility of creating a carbon-neutral electricity generation sector in Uzbekistan by 2050 year.
The Republic of Uzbekistan is taking active action on climate change issues in the context of the country's contribution to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The power generation sector is the backbone of the economy and is responsible for a significant share of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, decarbonization of electricity generation will play a crucial role in achieving Uzbekistan's climate goals. The Republic of Uzbekistan has already outlined an ambitious renewable energy development program presented in the Concept of the Ministry of Energy for 2020-2030.
In the interests of the Government of Uzbekistan, Corporate Solutions Limited, Guidehouse and Tractebel (Consortium) prepared the Report “Carbon neutral electricity sector in Uzbekistan. Summary for Policymakers”, which defines a carbon neutrality roadmap for the electricity sector in Uzbekistan, based on the conclusions of the Concept of the Ministry of Energy for 2020-2030 and expands the analysis to 2050. The roadmap provides an overview of the policies, technologies and investment needed to achieve carbon neutrality of electricity generation sector by 2050. It uses advanced power system modeling and scenario analysis tools and explores more than ten possible paths for the future development of the power generation sector in Uzbekistan with a view to developing an optimal roadmap.
The key finding of the Report is that Uzbekistan's transition to a zero-carbon energy sector by 2050 is technically and economically feasible. It shows the trajectory offered by the Concept of the Ministry of Energy for 2020–2030 and the ability of the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to lead in activities to combat climate change in Central Asia and beyond, while maintaining sustainable economic growth.