Uzbekgidroenergo has launched its first-ever wind farm — the 20-megawatt Chorbog plant in Burchmulla, near the Charvak Reservoir in the Bostanlyk district of Tashkent province. Until now, the state hydropower company had focused exclusively on hydroelectric generation.
The project was financed through a $28 million grant from the Chinese government, with China's TBEA serving as general contractor. According to TBEA director Li Bianqiu, the wind farm marks the company's fourth project in Uzbekistan; TBEA is also involved in modernizing hydropower plants 19, 22 and 23 in the Lower Bozsuv cascade in Tashkent province.
Construction of the plant began in July 2025. It houses four wind turbines, each with a capacity of 5 megawatts. Each turbine stands 105 meters tall, with blades measuring 90 meters in length and a rotor diameter of 183 meters.
According to Azimjon Akhmadjonov, first deputy chairman of Uzbekgidroenergo's board, the most difficult part of construction was transporting the massive turbine blades along winding mountain roads to the plant site.
The station operates fully automatically, with specialists monitoring performance remotely from a nearby control center. Each turbine is equipped with an internal elevator for maintenance access.
Rustam Ergeshov, head of operations at the Chorbog plant, said sensors detect wind direction and automatically rotate the turbines into the most efficient position.
The turbines begin generating electricity at a sustained wind speed of 3 meters per second and reach their rated output of 5 megawatts at wind speeds of 11.4 meters per second. When the wind dies down, the system automatically shuts the equipment off.
The plant is connected to Uzbekistan's unified power grid. According to Ayubkhon Musulmonkulov, a leading specialist at Uzbekgidroenergo, it is expected to generate about 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year on average — enough to power roughly 20,000 households in Bostanlyk district. He estimates this will save more than 13 million cubic meters of natural gas annually.
After the plant went online, Chinese engineers trained local staff to operate and maintain the equipment. The station's team now runs all operational processes independently.
Uzbekgidroenergo has no immediate plans to expand into wind power as a separate business line. Musulmonkulov said the company's strategy through 2032 does not include building additional wind farms, with hydropower remaining its core focus.
In Bostanlyk district, the company is instead developing a pipeline of hydropower projects, including the 140-megawatt Mullalak hydropower plant on the Pskem River, the 160-megawatt Yukori-Pskem pumped-storage plant, the 325-megawatt Korongitugay hydropower plant, and the 600-megawatt Khojikent pumped-storage plant.
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