The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, inaugurated the 500MW Zarafshan wind farm, the largest operational wind energy project in Central Asia. The project was developed by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar), a UAE-based renewable energy company. The inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of Masdar, as well as other senior officials from Uzbekistan and the UAE.
The Zarafshan wind farm is part of Uzbekistan’s effort to expand its renewable energy capacity. Uzbekistan aims to reach 20GW of clean energy capacity by 2030. The Zarafshan project will contribute to this target by generating clean energy to power thousands of homes and businesses while reducing carbon emissions.
Masdar has announced plans to invest $2 billion in clean energy projects in Uzbekistan with a combined capacity of over 2GW. The company is also working on additional renewable energy projects in Uzbekistan, with a pipeline of 4GW in the early stages of development. These projects include large-scale solar and wind farms as well as Uzbekistan’s first battery storage project.
At the event, Masdar and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy signed an agreement to develop a new 1GW wind farm in the Mingbulak region. This project is expected to generate clean energy for 300,000 homes and create 1,000 jobs during construction and 60 jobs during operation. The Mingbulak wind farm is the first phase of a plan to establish three wind farms in Uzbekistan.
Masdar’s renewable energy projects in Uzbekistan are part of its global strategy to expand its renewable energy portfolio to 100GW by 2030. The company is also pursuing green hydrogen production, targeting 1 million tonnes per year globally by the same year.
