Masdar breaks ground on 1.5 GW Uzbeg wind project

Masdar breaks ground on 1.5 GW Uzbeg wind project

Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, has broken ground on a key utility-scale wind farm project in Uzbekistan, the first-of-its-kind project - with a capacity of upto 1.5 gigawatts (GW).

The company had entered into bilateral agreements with Uzbekistan last year to develop, build and operate the 500-megawatt (MW) wind farm project, its second utility-scale clean energy project in the country, and the largest wind farm in Central Asia. 

According to Masdar, this project will attract foreign direct investment of more than $600 million.

Extending the capacity of the project, located in the Zarafshan district of the Navoi region, to as much as 1.5 GW will further help Uzbekistan achieve its objectives of adding up to 3 GW of wind energy and meeting 25 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

The 500 MW Zarafshan wind farm is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2024. At a capacity of 500 MW, the project would provide enough electricity to power 500,000 homes, while displacing 1.1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

it signed an Implementation Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan to extend the capacity of