On the outskirts of Hojahabad District in Andijan Oblast, Uzbekistan, an open-air landfill site was once filled with household waste from urban residents. The available landfill sites are gradually depleting, and the air is filled with pungent odors all year round, causing soil and water sources to be polluted. Now, in a hilly area adjacent to a landfill site, a modern municipal solid waste incineration power generation project covering an area of 9 hectares has emerged, using China's environmental protection plan to end the pain of the land's garbage siege.

Changes are not limited to Anjian. On October 16, 2026, Uzbekistan's President Mirziyoyev met with executives from three Chinese companies, China International Engineering Corporation, China Energy Engineering Corporation, and China National Materials Energy Conservation Corporation, during the first meeting of the Fuel Energy Industry Investor Council in Tashkent. The talks focused on promoting joint projects, expanding investment in priority areas of energy and infrastructure in Ukraine, and three cooperation proposals received immediate support from the President.

Garbage Mountain Transforms into a Power Plant

Anjiyan is the location of the waste to energy project in which Zhonggong International is involved. In May 2025, the board of directors of China International Engineering Corporation approved the proposal to invest, construct, and operate two municipal solid waste incineration power plants in Tashkent and Andijan, Uzbekistan. The two projects will process 4000 tons of municipal solid waste per day and generate over 710 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The Anjiyan project has a daily processing capacity of 1500 tons of garbage, with a total investment of 178 million US dollars. The construction period is two years and the operation period is 30 years. The electricity is integrated into the State Grid. This project has also achieved a breakthrough from scratch in the field of clean energy investment, construction, and operation for China International Engineering Corporation.

Three Chinese enterprises each have their own division of labor

The three companies have different business focuses. Zhonggong International is a subsidiary of China Machinery Industry Group, engaged in engineering general contracting, investment, and equipment export in the fields of energy, agriculture, water conservancy engineering, and industrial infrastructure. China Energy Construction's business covers renewable energy, energy storage, transmission, hydropower, and large-scale infrastructure construction, with operations in more than 140 countries and regions. Previously, it invested in the construction of a 1 GW photovoltaic project in Ukraine, with an annual power generation of 2.4 billion kilowatt hours after full capacity grid connection, becoming a benchmark photovoltaic project for Chinese enterprises investing and constructing in Central Asia. Sinoma Energy Conservation is engaged in clean energy investment and project development, involving technologies such as waste heat recovery, biomass, geothermal power generation, etc. The projects are distributed in Asia and Africa.

From project to hub

This meeting extends cooperation from a single energy project to the fields of logistics and agriculture. In addition to establishing a logistics hub in Andijan Prefecture, the agricultural photovoltaic projects proposed by Chinese companies, which combine agricultural production with solar power generation to continue the production of land under photovoltaic panels, as well as oil and gas projects, have also received support from Mirziyoyev. The simultaneous implementation of the three proposals means that Chinese enterprises in Ukraine are shifting their role from engineering contractors to long-term investment operators.

Supporting this shift is the urgent need for Uzbekistan's energy transition. The country has entered the stage of large-scale construction of new energy, with intensive implementation of photovoltaic, wind power, energy storage, green hydrogen, and waste to energy projects. The goal is to achieve at least 25 gigawatts of renewable energy installed capacity and 54% of renewable energy generation by 2030.

However, although the three proposals have received support from the presidential level, the investment amount, construction schedule, and specific implementation arrangements have not yet been disclosed, and the intention to start construction still needs to be further confirmed by both sides. As cooperation between China and Ukraine continues to deepen in the fields of energy, infrastructure, and logistics, the power plant next to the garbage mountain in Andijan may only be the first step in a bigger game.Editor/Yang Meiling