Uzbekistan has proposed allowing greenhouses in Tashkent and the surrounding region to continue operating if they adopt environmentally friendly heating technologies, install certified filtration systems and meet established emissions standards, the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change reported on October 12.
The proposal follows complaints from residents about deteriorating air quality and unpleasant odors caused by coal-fired greenhouse heating. The committee noted that falling nighttime temperatures and temperature inversions during calm weather had recently increased concerns over atmospheric pollution in the capital region.
Residents of Tashkent’s Yunusabad district, in particular, reported air quality problems associated with coal burned to heat greenhouses. Relevant authorities subsequently inspected the sites and collected air samples to identify pollution sources.
According to the committee, greenhouse operators have expressed their readiness to modernize existing facilities, switch to environmentally friendly heating technologies and reduce harmful emissions to established limits.
Under the proposed arrangements, greenhouses that receive a positive conclusion from the state environmental examination would be permitted to use natural gas, liquefied gas, electricity, geothermal and solar energy, as well as secondary heat generated by thermal power plants.
Coal could be used where these energy sources are unavailable, provided the facilities install certified heating boilers and waste treatment and filtration systems that comply with emissions standards.
Greenhouses would also be required to install video surveillance systems and transmit relevant data and footage to the National Environmental Monitoring Center under the Ecology Committee.
A working group comprising representatives of the Ecology Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy and other government agencies has reviewed the proposals.
Greenhouse operators presented a pilot heating boiler and filtration system developed using Chinese technology. However, measurements conducted on September 30 and October 8 found that harmful substance emissions from the experimental filter did not meet established safety standards.
The operators were subsequently tasked with improving the filter, after which the working group will conduct further measurements. The group has also prepared a draft document establishing safe emissions standards for filters used in greenhouse heating boilers.
The government is considering subsidies and tax incentives for farms transitioning to environmentally friendly greenhouse operations. However, the committee emphasized that the ban on operating greenhouses in the capital region without environmentally friendly heating systems would remain in force.
Environmental monitoring will continue in cooperation with the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Guard. The authorities also stated that the existing moratorium on inspections of business entities would be respected.
In April, it was reported that a Cabinet of Ministers resolution prohibited the construction of new greenhouses using coal, fuel oil and other polluting fuels from June 1, 2026, in Tashkent and the Yukorichirchik, Qibray, Yangiyul, Zangiota and Tashkent districts of the surrounding region.
The resolution also stipulated that natural gas supplies to existing greenhouses would be discontinued from August 1, 2026. Water-use tax rates for these facilities were set at five times the highest tariffs applicable to industrial enterprises.
Additionally, compensation payments for environmental pollution caused by burning coal, tires, bitumen, fuel oil, plastic film and other harmful materials in greenhouses were scheduled to increase 20-fold.