On the Gobi Desert of Karakalpakstan, the first batch of construction vehicles have entered the site, and the pile foundation of the largest wind power project in the Commonwealth of Independent States is about to be laid. This land, which is constantly windy, is becoming the most significant green power base in Central Asia. The 1.5GW Kungrad wind power project with a $2.6 billion investment has officially entered the substantive construction phase, pressing the accelerator for Uzbekistan's energy transition.

Synchronized implementation of large-scale wind and solar storage network

The Kungele Wind Power Project has a total installed capacity of 1.5GW and consists of three 500MW wind farms, equipped with 300MW/550MWh battery energy storage systems to stabilize wind power output fluctuations. The supporting grid connection project will construct 845 kilometers of 500kV transmission lines, with a total length of approximately 1327 kilometers for dual circuit conversion. Three 500kV substations will be built simultaneously, and two existing substations will be upgraded and renovated to connect the backbone channel for direct transmission of Gobi wind power to the national power grid.

The project operates under BOOT mode, and ACWA Power has signed a 25 year long-term power purchase agreement with Uzbekistan State Grid. The annual designed power generation capacity is approximately 5.8 billion kilowatt hours, and it is planned to be put into commercial operation in the second quarter of 2028. At present, the total installed capacity of wind power in Uzbekistan has exceeded 3.2GW. After the project is put into operation, it will directly promote the country's renewable energy power generation to significantly move towards the target of 40% by 2030.

Diversified financing and deep localization integration

The project financing structure covers multilateral institutions and international capital. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has approved $150 million in non sovereign financing, and the Asian Development Bank is promoting $250 million in loans, $115 million in guarantees, and up to $400 million in commercial loan arrangements, combined with Islamic green equity bridge financing and export credit bridge funds, to build a solid financial foundation for engineering construction.

ACWA Power and Sumitomo Corporation of Japan are jointly promoting the overall development of the project, which will create approximately 4000 local job opportunities during the peak construction period and achieve a localized procurement scale of 750 million US dollars. At present, 78 local students have entered the Energy Technology College for targeted training, in order to reserve local technical talents for long-term operation and maintenance of power plants in the future. The wind on the Gobi Desert is no longer just a natural landscape, but is becoming a stable source of clean electricity for Uzbekistan and laying the groundwork for cross-border green power transmission in Central Asia. Keywords: Central Asia Cross border Green Power, Wind Power

The strong winds in the desert are about to transform into stable currents, and the Kungrad wind power project will not only fill the gap in Uzbekistan's power supply, but also become a core benchmark project for green energy cooperation in the Central Asian region.Editor/Cheng Liting