As part of his Karakalpakstan trip Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched construction of largest wind project in CIS

As part of his trip to Karakalpakstan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched construction of the largest wind project in the CIS

On 18 September, during his visit to Karakalpakstan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in a commissioning ceremony for new energy facilities and gave the старт to construction of the 1.5 GW Kungrad Wind Farm, being implemented in Uzbekistan by Saudi company Acwa. The project also includes the construction of the grid infrastructure needed to integrate the generated electricity into the national unified energy system.

“The fact that the share of green energy has reached 40% in such a short period of time is the result of the hard work of our industrious, generous, and open-hearted people.”

One of the main projects behind this progress is the Kungrad Wind Farm (WPP), part of Acwa’s wider portfolio in Karakalpakstan. Now under construction, the facility will have a generation capacity of 1.5 GW, making it the largest wind power project in the CIS. The project also includes a 300 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). To connect the plant to the grid, it provides for the construction of about 1,500 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines, three 500 kV switching stations, and the upgrade of two existing substations.

In Karakalpakstan, the Nukus-1 and Nukus-2 projects are already operating in the Beruniy and Karauzyak districts, with a combined capacity of 300 MW in wind power and 100 MW in BESS. In total, Acwa’s planned, operational, and under-construction projects in Karakalpakstan amount to about 2.3 GW of capacity, roughly $4 billion in investments, 650 MWh of energy storage capacity, and 1,441 kilometers of power transmission lines. Together, these facilities are expected to produce around 8.77 billion kWh of clean electricity a year — enough to cover the energy needs of about 2.4 million households — while saving about 2.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas and preventing nearly 5 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.

After all projects now under development are put into operation, the company’s portfolio in Karakalpakstan will more than double. The scale of Acwa’s projects in the region extends well beyond generation figures. At the peak of construction, the Kungrad Wind Farm will create around 4,000 jobs, with local content reaching about $750 million. This will open up additional opportunities for local specialists, businesses, and suppliers involved in the project. The company is also investing in workforce development for the power sector.

The size of the ongoing and planned projects shows that Karakalpakstan is becoming an increasingly important hub for energy investment. By 2030, total wind power capacity in the region is expected to reach 3.3 GW, raising the share of green energy to 76%.

The progress of Acwa’s projects in the region reflects Uzbekistan’s comprehensive approach to the energy transition, combining new generation capacity with battery energy storage systems, transmission infrastructure, local supply chain integration, and human capital development. The combination of these elements and the steady advancement of the sector create the basis for long-term investment and the continued expansion of Karakalpakstan’s energy potential.