The World Bank on Tuesday (May 21) announced that it will support a 250-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic plant with a 63-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Uzbekistan -- Central Asia's first renewable energy facility with a utility-scale battery storage component.
ADB said it will be one of the first utility-scale renewable energy projects with a battery energy storage system (BESS) component in Uzbekistan. It follows the announcement of the county's first BESS in May 2024 and the connection of the first phase of a 511 MW solar project in March of this year.
Uzbekistan is in line for its first grid-scale battery energy storage project as it seeks to stabilize and strengthen its existing electricity grids and ramp up the uptake of renewable energy.
Image for representation purposes only. The World Bank on Tuesday (May 21) announced that it will support a 250-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic plant with a 63-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Uzbekistan -- Central Asia's first renewable energy facility with a utility-scale battery storage component.
TASHKENT, May 21, 2024 — The World Bank Group, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar), and the Government of Uzbekistan have signed a financial package to fund a 250-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic plant with a 63-MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
Will Uzbekistan build a solar-plus-battery system?
The ADB is proposing a large scale, solar-plus-battery system in Uzbekistan. According to a listing on ADB's website, the Samarkand 1 Solar PV and BESS Project will involve the construction of two solar power plants, of 100 MW and 400 MW, a pooling station, 500 MWh BESS, loop-in loop-out transmission lines, and a 70 km overhead transmission line.
Does Uzbekistan have a solar plant?
Separately, ACWA Power recently announced financial close on a 200 MW solar plant and 500 MWh BESS near the national capital, Tashkent. Uzbekistan had 253 MW of cumulative installed solar capacity at the end of last year, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).