Talimardjan thermal power station and German companies Intec-GOPA and GEO-NET carries out assessment of wind power potential of Uzbekistan with the project “Construction of high voltage line 500 kV Talimarjan thermal power station – Sogdiana sub-station with 500 kV switcher station at Talimarjan thermal power station” at the support of the World Bank.

Within the project, the Wind Atlas – an interactive information-analytical system of wind power potential of Uzbekistan, developed with computer modeling, was prepared.

Based on developed atlas, Uzbekenergo determined two perspective areas in Navoi region and southern Karakalpakstan to conduct further detail research wind power potential of these areas.

In March 2015, meteorological towers with the height of 85 meters each with meters to assess speed and direction of wind, as well as air density and temperature were installed. These meters transfer data to further analyzes in online regime via satellite system. The data will be used to determine optimal capacity of wind power generators and potential volume of electricity generation at preparation of investment project.

Botir Khodjaev, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Uzbekistan, said that according to the forecast, demand of Uzbekistan for electricity will grow almost twice by 2030 – to 105 billion KWH.

He said that use of new highly efficient technologies and renewable energy is not variant for development of the industry, but a necessity. He added that Uzbekistan has been realizing projects on creation of new and modernization of existing generation capacities with use of renewable sources of energy.

Johannes Becker, a project manager at GEO-NET, said that in line with preliminary conservative assessment, estimated wind power resources of Uzbekistan makes up 520,000 megawatts of installed capacities and over billion MWH of electricity a year.

He stressed that Uzbekistan can create 518,261 MW of 520,259 MW (99.6%) of installed wind power generators at the areas with moderate wind conditions with the use of a 3 MW wind turbine with a rotor diameter of 100 meters and a height from the ground to the rotor of 100 m, , 1,232 MW (0.237%) at the areas with good wind conditions and 765 MW (0.15%) at perfect wind conditions.

Becker said that overall Uzbekistan can produce about 1,077,651 GWH of electricity a year (1078 TWH a year) with help of wind farms.

He said that mountainous areas in northern eastern direction from Tashkent, mountains chain in south-east from Samarkand and mountain chain between Jizzakh and Samarkand region have the highest wind potential. Navoi region and Karakalpakstan are on the second place on wind potential.

The German consultants recommended to focus efforts in initial stage to Navoi region and Karakalpakstan for installation of wind power generators as it is difficult or impossible to realize large scale projects in mountainous regions.

Currently, it is necessary to invest about US$1 million to create 1 MW power wind generator, which is almost equal with the cost of modern combined-cycle plant. The prime cost of generated electricity at wind power facility is about 5.5 cents per 1 KWH.