Tashkent plans to build cogeneration plants with a combined electrical capacity of 203 MW across seven districts of the capital. The projects will be carried out under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework, the company Thermal Power Plants said.
The new facilities will be built in the Mirzo-Ulugbek, Yangihayot, Yashnabad, Uchtepa, Mirabad, Shaykhantahur and Yunusabad districts of the capital. They are expected to supply heat to 615 facilities, including 549 apartment buildings, 17 schools, 26 kindergartens and seven medical institutions.
The projects will be financed by Netherlands-registered Tashgen B.V., along with two Turkish companies, Pales Mühendislik Yatırımları San. Tic. A.Ş. and Şekerci Endüstriyel İç ve Dış Tic. Ltd.
According to slides published by the Tashkent city administration, total investment in the project is expected to reach $173 million.
Thermal Power Plants noted that the construction program was mandated by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated January 20, 2023. The cogeneration facilities are planned partly for districts located at the far ends of Tashkent's heating network.
Once all seven projects are completed, the plants are expected to supply roughly 1.5 billion kWh of electricity to the power grid annually and deliver around 1.2 million Gcal of thermal energy to consumers. Annual natural gas consumption is projected at about 370 million cubic meters.
Similar facilities are already operating in Tashkent.
The company recalled that the need for additional heating sources was raised following problems during the winter of 2022–2023. In December 2022, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Chilanzar thermal center. At the time, a sharp cold snap had caused gas pressure to drop, while worn-out equipment and heating networks led to additional heat losses.
The president subsequently called for alternative heat-generation sources to be explored, including the installation of compact plants in Tashkent that generate electricity and heat simultaneously.
One such project was carried out jointly with the Turkish company Iltekno in the Oktepa and Bogzor neighborhoods of Chilanzar district. Tashkent Mayor Shavkat Umurzakov visited the Bogzor neighborhood this week to inspect the operation of the new cogeneration substation.
The installation cost $10 million. It has an electrical capacity of 4.6 MW and a thermal capacity of 29 Gcal per hour. According to the company, the facility can produce approximately 41 million kWh of electricity and 219,000 Gcal of heat annually, saving around 5.3 million cubic meters of natural gas in the process.
The station supplies energy to 50 apartment buildings, seven social institutions and several local businesses.
Following a visit to the facility in October 2023, the president ordered that similar projects be rolled out to other districts of the capital.
Another cogeneration plant was commissioned in the Shon-Shukhrat neighborhood of Almazar district. That $3.6 million project was also carried out with Iltekno.
The plant has an electrical capacity of 1.2 MW and a thermal capacity of 6.4 Gcal per hour, with an efficiency rate of 88%. It is capable of producing around 9.6 million kWh of electricity and 26,400 Gcal of heat per year.
Thanks to more efficient fuel use, the project is projected to save around 700,000 cubic meters of natural gas annually while cutting harmful emissions by 67%.
A similar facility was built in the Uzgarish neighborhood of Sergeli district at a cost of $5.7 million.
With a capacity of 2.3 MW of electricity and 10 Gcal of heat per hour, the plant can generate roughly 18.4 million kWh of electrical energy and 46,000 Gcal of thermal energy each year. Its efficiency rate also stands at 88%.
Thermal Power Plants said the project saves about 220,000 cubic meters of gas annually and reduces harmful emissions.
The station supplies heat and electricity to 52 apartment buildings, a school, a preschool, another social facility, and local businesses in the surrounding area.
Cogeneration involves the simultaneous production of electricity and heat from a single plant. This approach captures heat that would otherwise be lost during conventional power generation, improving overall fuel efficiency.
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