ADB, Uzbekistan to launch tender of Sherabad Solar PV PPP Project Phase II in 2021

The Government of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is set to launch the full tender details of Phase 2 of the Sherabad Solar Project in early 2021. 

The Sherabad Phase II will see a solar power station built in the Sherabad district of the Surkhandarya region. The station will be in close proximity, and link to, facilities for the first project (Sherabad Phase I) - announced in February 2020.

The Sherabad Phase II structure will follow international best practice and be guided by transparency, timeliness, sensible risk levels, affordability, and overall value for money.

The Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade, and the Public-Private Partnership Development Agency under the Ministry of Finance also promote the Sherabad Phase II. It is part of a strategy developed by Uzbekistan’s government, supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to generate 1GW of solar energy.

In August 2019, the Government mandated ADB to provide transaction advisory services for Uzbekistan’s 1GW solar energy program. The program will lower energy costs for the Uzbek population, decrease the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce overall CO₂ emissions.

The Sherabad Phase II and the solar energy strategy both complement Uzbekistan’s wider renewable energy strategy. This strategy will develop up to 5GW of cost-effective, renewable energy in the next ten years - to meet large energy demand increases in Uzbekistan.

The Sherabad Phase I site is also in the Sherabad district of Surkhandarya region, and includes the construction of:

• A photovoltaic station with a minimum capacity of 200MWac;
• A new 220kV substation; and
• A 52km transmission line to connect to the Surkhan 220kV substation.

The Sherabad Phase I is currently under tendering with a Request for Proposals issued on 14 December 2020, and a submission deadline of 15 March 2021.