ACWA Power targets end-2027 for full capacity at Uzbekistan solar plant

Photo: the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 24. Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power plans to bring its 1-gigawatt solar power project in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand region to full capacity by the end of 2027, the Ministry of Energy said following Energy Minister Sherzod Khodjayev’s visit to the site on October 23.

The project comprises a 1,000-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant, an energy storage system with a capacity of 1,336 megawatt-hours, and new 500-kilovolt and 220-kV power transmission lines.

The first 100-MW phase of the solar plant was commissioned in September 2026. During his visit, Khodjayev reviewed the operation of the commissioned facility and inspected construction and installation work on the remaining stages.

The project incorporates technologies designed to improve solar panel efficiency, including tracking systems that adjust panel positions according to the sun’s movement and robotic equipment for panel cleaning.

The energy storage system is scheduled to begin operating in the first half of 2027, while the solar plant is expected to reach its full capacity by the end of that year.

Khodjayev instructed project officials to meet construction deadlines, maintain high quality standards, comply with technical requirements during equipment installation and coordinate work across all project stages.

Once completed, the project is expected to increase Uzbekistan’s electricity generation capacity, facilitate the integration of renewable energy into the national grid and improve the reliability of power supplies to households and industrial consumers. It is also intended to strengthen electricity supply reliability in Tashkent and the eastern Fergana Valley regions.

The project also includes double-circuit 500-kV and 220-kV transmission lines incorporating technical solutions that the ministry describes as being implemented for the first time in Central Asia. The lines are intended to integrate the new generating capacity into Uzbekistan’s unified power system and expand electricity transmission between regions.