Uzbekistan President Mirziyoyev presided over a special meeting on energy development and announced the country's 2026 energy development plan. At present, the total installed capacity of power generation in Uzbekistan has reached 25800 megawatts, of which renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower account for 31% of the installed capacity, with an installed capacity of up to 8000 megawatts.

According to the plan, Uzbekistan plans to increase its power generation to 90 billion kilowatt hours by 2026, a 40% increase from 2020. Considering the increase in electricity demand brought about by economic growth, it is expected that electricity consumption will increase by an additional 1 billion kilowatt hours this year. By the end of 2026, the country plans to add 6770 megawatts of power generation capacity, including 2800 megawatts of solar power, 2500 megawatts of thermal power, 470 megawatts of wind power, 68 megawatts of hydropower, and 884 megawatts of energy storage systems.

At present, the investment portfolio of Uzbekistan's fuel energy complex includes 133 projects with a total value of up to 51.4 billion US dollars. The meeting identified multiple priority tasks, including ensuring stable electricity consumption for residents and businesses, upgrading power grid infrastructure, attracting investment, and ensuring timely operation of power generation facilities.

In terms of energy conservation, Uzbekistan plans to save 4.378 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and 2.84 billion cubic meters of natural gas by 2026. Large enterprises are required to reduce energy consumption by at least 10% while maintaining the same product output, and plan to attract $200 million in investment to improve energy efficiency.

The construction of transmission lines has become a key focus. In the next few years, it is planned to build three railway lines, namely Talimagan Sugdiyona, Syr Darya Kharka, and Karakul Nurabad, with a total length of 602 kilometers. By 2030, the new Angren Namangan transmission line and Namangan substation will also be built. At the same time, Tashgan will construct 75 kilometers of high-voltage lines and 5 substations, renovate 69 kilometers of power grids and 18 substations, and update 638 kilometers of low-voltage power grids and 161 substations.

The meeting also separately reviewed the plan to integrate the Ferghana Basin power system with neighboring countries, as well as the plan to accelerate the construction of the Surhan Prikhumri transmission line. To ensure the stable operation of thermal power plants in autumn and winter, Uzbekistan is studying and constructing plans for liquefied natural gas storage infrastructure. Keywords: International News Network, International News and Information

At the meeting, Ukrainian President Mirziyoyev gave further instructions on accelerating the construction of backbone and distribution networks, ensuring timely operation of strategic facilities, and systematically improving energy efficiency, providing direction for the future development of Uzbekistan's energy sector.Editor/Gao Xue