Waste-to-energy plants with a total capacity of 454 million kWh will be built in Surxondaryo, Bukhara, and Karakalpakstan

Waste processing plants with a total capacity of 454 million kWh will be built in Surxondaryo, Bukhara, and Karakalpakstan

Presidential decrees signed on September 17 established investment projects aimed at generating electricity through the thermal processing of solid municipal waste in three regions of Uzbekistan. These projects are expected to attract a total of $395 million in direct investment and create waste processing capacities.

For the project in the Surxondaryo region, China's China Sciences Environmental Protection Technology (Hong Kong) International Co., Ltd (CSET) will be involved as an investor.

In 2026–2028, $150 million in direct investment will be injected into the project, and equipment with a capacity to thermally process 1,000 tons of solid municipal waste per day and generate 126 million kWh of electricity per year will be put into operation.

The project will be implemented in a 15-hectare eco-industrial zone to be established in the "Bahor" MCA area of the Angor district.

The project company will sell the generated electricity to JSC "O'zenergosotish" on a guaranteed basis for 30 years.

The Agency for Waste Management and Circular Economy Development under the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change will supply the project company with a guaranteed volume of solid municipal waste for 30 years.

Within the framework of the project, the necessary power transmission lines and infrastructure facilities will also be built to connect the power plant to the single power grid.

For the project in the Bukhara and Navoiy regions, Singapore-registered Wangneng (UZ) Environmental Protection Energy Pte. Ltd has been involved as an investor.

With $165 million in direct investment, equipment with a capacity to thermally process 1.5 thousand tons of waste per day and generate 238 million kWh of electricity per year will be put into operation in the Bukhara region.

This project is also planned to be implemented in 2026–2028.

An area of 40 hectares of land from the "Guliston" MCA territory in the Kogon district will be allocated for the establishment of an eco-industrial zone.

In the Bukhara region, agreements on a public-private partnership basis are also allowed to be concluded with enterprises providing waste collection and removal services.

In the Republic of Karakalpakstan, a project to generate electricity from waste will also be implemented with the participation of China's China Sciences Environmental Protection Technology (Hong Kong) International Co., Ltd (CSET).

In 2026–2028, $80 million in direct investment will be attracted to the project, creating a capacity to thermally process 750 tons of waste per day and generate 90 million kWh of electricity per year.

The project will be implemented in a 30-hectare eco-industrial zone to be established in the "Taqirko'l" CCA area of the Nukus district.

As in Surxondaryo and Bukhara, this project also establishes mechanisms for the guaranteed purchase of electricity for 30 years and the guaranteed supply of solid municipal waste.

Under the three projects, investors will provide a first-class bank guarantee of $8 million to secure their obligations during the construction period.

The project companies are also granted the right to open accounts in foreign banks and make certain payments to foreign creditors, contractors, and suppliers directly, without routing them through bank accounts in Uzbekistan.

In addition, relevant government bodies have been tasked with building the necessary electricity infrastructure, allocating land plots, and establishing eco-industrial zones for the projects.

In general, according to the decrees, a total of 3.25 thousand tons of municipal waste per day will be thermally processed in Surxondaryo, Bukhara, and Karakalpakstan, and a capacity to generate 454 million kWh of electricity per year will be created. The total volume of direct investments to be attracted to the projects is $395 million.

It was previously reported that plants processing 800 tons of waste to generate 71 million kWh in Khorezm, and processing 1,000 tons of waste to generate 110 million kWh in Jizzakh, would be built.

In October 2024, speaking about projects for processing municipal waste and generating electricity and products from it, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called this sector "not just plants, but one of the issues of fateful importance." In March 2025, he signed a decree on the implementation of projects for generating electricity by burning solid municipal waste.

One of such projects is being implemented in Samarkand in cooperation with China's Shanghai SUS Environment company.

The SUS Environment Samarkand plant is being built on the territory of the central landfill located in the "Navro'z" neighborhood of the "Xushrav" massif: 15 hectares out of the landfill's 100-hectare area have been allocated for the project. The foundation stone of the enterprise was laid on July 18, 2025, and construction work is currently underway.

Waste-to-energy plants operate on the technology of thermal processing of industrial and solid municipal waste in boilers or furnaces. The heat generated during the combustion process is used to produce heat and electricity.