Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  A press tour organized by the JSC “Thermal Power Plants” highlighted extensive preparations underway for the 2024-2025 fall-winter season in Tashkent, showcasing major repairs and new technology implementation to improve heating efficiency and sustainability.

In preparation for the coming winter, extensive maintenance has been completed on 53 energy units, including 14 power blocks, 28 boiler units, 7 combined cycle units, 1 turbine, and 3 gas turbines. Additional repairs were also made on 11 units where operational teams found deficiencies. The maintenance efforts have boosted electricity generation capacity by 291 MW and increased heating efficiency by 235 tons per hour.

Participants in the press tour visited the 5th heat center of the “Toshkent Issiklik Markazi” enterprise within the JSC “Thermal Power Plants” system, the main heating provider for Tashkent residents. The system has nine thermal centers with a total capacity of 4,580 Gcal, supplying heat at 65°C and up to 85°C in winter through the main distributor, Veolia Energy Tashkent.

To fully meet demand during the 2024-2025 winter season, preparations began in March. Comprehensive maintenance has included the overhaul of 15 boilers, routine repairs of 60, extensive repairs on 239 pump units, and refurbishment of 420,000 meters of internal piping and auxiliary equipment.

A key site featured in the tour was the new cogeneration unit serving the “Aktepa” and “Bogzor” districts in Tashkent’s Chilanzar area. Developed in partnership with Turkish company “Iltekno,” this $10 million project simultaneously produces 4.6 MW of electricity and 29 Gcal of heat per hour with an impressive 85% efficiency. Utilizing German-made gas pistons and Bosch boilers, this installation supplies 41 million kWh of electricity and 219,000 Gcal of heat annually, serving 50 apartment buildings, 7 social institutions, and numerous businesses.

An innovative aspect of this project is its use of sensors in heating distribution points, adjusting room temperatures based on outdoor conditions. The complex is expected to save 5.3 million cubic meters of natural gas annually.

Encouraged by the success of this project, the government has initiated similar projects across six Tashkent districts with further cogeneration units totaling $34.5 million. Another press tour stop was a construction site in the “Shon-Shukhrat” neighborhood of the Almazar district, where a modern cogeneration unit with a 1.2 MW electricity output and 6.4 Gcal heating capacity is being built.

Once operational, this project is expected to produce 8 million kWh of electricity and 52,000 Gcal of heat annually, saving 1.2 million cubic meters of natural gas and reducing emissions by 67%. It will also create 15 new jobs and provide stable heating to 17 apartment buildings, a social institution, and several businesses. The project is scheduled for completion by year’s end.