New Small Hydropower Plant Constructed in Uzbekistan’s Gissarak

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev inspected the operations of a newly built small hydropower plant near the Gissarak Reservoir in the Shakhrisabz district.

The Gissarak Reservoir was built in 1987 and underwent major reconstruction in 2004. The area is also home to a main hydropower plant with a capacity of 45 megawatts, which was commissioned in 2011. It generates approximately 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, meeting the energy needs of around 33,000 households, The Caspian Post reports citing UzA.

Uzbekistan places special emphasis on expanding the use of environmentally friendly, low-cost, and renewable energy sources and increasing existing capacities. The joint-stock company Uzbekhydroenergo is actively implementing projects to construct small and micro hydropower plants.

One such facility is the new small hydropower plant in Shakhrisabz district, with a capacity of 3.5 megawatts. It is expected to generate an average of 17.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The project was implemented entirely using localized resources, with a total cost of $1.5 million. Thanks to its operation, up to 5 million cubic meters of natural gas can be saved annually. The generated electricity will be sufficient to supply approximately 7,300 households.

The President was also briefed on plans for hydropower.

Among the priority projects is constructing 416 micro hydropower plants using kinetic turbines over the next two years, with a total capacity of 12 megawatts. These installations will efficiently utilize the flow of water in canals.

Three hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 49 megawatts are operating in Kashkadarya region. In the future, this figure is expected to grow significantly through the implementation of new projects. Hydropower is planned to cover up to 15 percent of the population’s electricity needs.

Over the past eight years, electricity production in Uzbekistan has increased by 38 percent, reaching 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. In 2024, five more small hydropower plants with a total capacity of 24.7 megawatts are scheduled to be commissioned across the country.