Central Asia is working to achieve a unified electricity trade platform to improve regional trade and meet the growing demand for renewable energy, according to Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister for Energy Umid Mamadaminov.

Mamadaminov, speaking at last week's European Economic Days in Tashkent, said the effort to develop the platform enjoys support from the World Bank and other partners. 

"Infrastructure is very important for integrating renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, and many countries face this problem. We need at least 5,000 kilometres [3,107 miles] of power lines, including 500 kV and 200 kV high-voltage lines and substations," Mamadaminov noted. 

According to Gazeta.uz, the regional connectivity project will attempt to construct at least 2,000 km of power lines within the next two years.

Uzbekistan has already made strides in strengthening its renewable energy capacity. 

“We have signed contracts to install over 2,000 MW of energy storage systems, with a total capacity of more than 400 MW,” Mamadaminov mentioned, explaining that energy storage will help stabilise fluctuations in solar power generation. 

The country is poised to achieve at least 4,000 MW of base capacity by 2026, enhancing grid reliability.

While Uzbekistan has made progress in power generation, the challenge of integrating renewable sources like solar and wind into the existing grid remains a pressing one. 

“Automation is the main challenge for integrating renewable energy sources into the electricity grid because the system cannot be controlled without it,” Mamadaminov stated. 

The solution is believed to lie in advanced automation and forecasting systems that can predict sudden drops in solar energy production, such as when clouds obscure the sun.

As part of its long-term energy strategy, Uzbekistan plans to produce 25% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, as per Aenert.

The government is focusing on solar energy while developing wind, biomass and hydroelectric power to diversify its energy mix.

In pursuit of this goal, it is seeking investors to build 8 GW of solar and wind power, while increasing hydroelectric capacity to 1.935 GW by 2030.