Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In the Republic of Karakalpakstan, construction has begun on wind power plants and industrial enterprises, and new shopping complexes have been inaugurated.

During the ceremony, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev highlighted the economic development of Karakalpakstan.

The region has seen extensive work in recent years. Over the past five years, more than 50 benefits and incentives have been provided in industry, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure. Notably, the right to directly allocate land for investment projects has been introduced exclusively in Karakalpakstan. Infrastructure is being developed for projects worth over 50 billion soums.

Thanks to these incentives, entrepreneurs have retained over 2 trillion soums.

A total of 44.5 trillion soums have been allocated to improve the region’s business infrastructure, leading to the emergence of more than 25,000 new enterprises in recent years.

In the past year alone, over 1,400 projects worth US$345 million were implemented, creating more than 10,000 new jobs. In the first half of this year, US$730 million in foreign investment has been utilized.

The number of foreign-capital enterprises in Karakalpakstan is also increasing. In 2017, there were 73 foreign and joint ventures; today, their number has risen to 175.

Currently, over 120 major new projects, totaling around US$9.5 billion, are underway, expected to stimulate the regional economy. These projects will be gradually launched between 2025 and 2028, creating more than 20,000 new jobs, production capacities amounting to 12 trillion soums, and additional budget revenues of 500 billion soums.

The President emphasized the significance of the ongoing construction and the commissioning of new complexes.

The pace of economic growth in Uzbekistan presents substantial challenges for the energy sector.

In recent years, US$2 billion in investments have led to the commissioning of 10 solar and wind power stations with a total capacity of 2.6 gigawatts. By the end of the year, an additional 1.5 gigawatts of capacity will be connected to the grid, increasing the share of "green" energy to 15 percent.

Additionally, 32 "green" projects, totaling US$19 billion and with a capacity of 18.6 gigawatts, are underway.

President Mirziyoyev noted that Karakalpakstan plays a significant role in this regard. According to reputable research institutes, Karakalpakstan has potential for 680 gigawatts of solar and 120 gigawatts of wind energy.

By 2030, plans are in place to build 10 major wind power stations in Karakalpakstan with a total capacity of 10.3 gigawatts, funded by US$11 billion in direct investments. Once fully operational, these projects will generate 35 billion kilowatt-hours of "green" energy annually.

To ensure stable electricity transmission in the Kungrad, Beruni, and Karauzyak districts, three energy storage systems with a total capacity of 400 megawatts will be constructed.

Construction of several of these projects has begun today. The first is a 1-gigawatt wind power plant worth US$1.2 billion, to be built by the Chinese company "Sany Renewable" in the Kungrad district. The second is a 200-megawatt wind power plant with a 100-megawatt energy storage system, worth US$250 million, to be developed in collaboration with the Saudi company "ACWA Power" in the Beruni and Karauzyak districts.

These projects will generate 4.2 billion kilowatt-hours of "green" energy annually, equivalent to the annual consumption of 1.75 million households. This will save approximately 1.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas and reduce atmospheric emissions by nearly 2 million tons.

Notably, at the same time, construction is starting in the Kungrad district on facilities for producing wind turbine parts, towers, and blades. This will localize the production of 1,000 megawatts of wind turbine components and 120 towers per year, with import substitution products valued at US$100 million.

In addition, in the Nukus district, production of 20 million heating radiators per year will be established with US$24 million in investments.

Attention is also being paid to urban and district beautification, creating suitable living conditions for the population. Twelve new projects totaling US$62 million in industry, agriculture, tourism, and services are being launched. Two of these, major shopping complexes in the Beruni district and the city of Nukus, were inaugurated during the ceremony.

The President pressed the symbolic button to mark the start of these new projects and congratulated everyone on their significance for the country’s economy.