The large industries are becoming the main drivers of the country’s economy

On August 27, 2021, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Navoi region. President attended the ceremony of launching a solar photovoltaic plant and chemical industry enterprises. The Head of the state also get acquainted with the activities of existing enterprises and hold a conversation with the population.

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, the country’s first solar photovoltaic plant has been commissioned in Karmana district of Navoi region.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the ceremony of launching the plant.

Hydrocarbons, mainly coal, oil and gas, are widely used as sources of electricity generation. However, their supplies are limited. Therefore, renewable energy sources are being developed in the country.

As is known, Uzbekistan has an average of 320 sunny days a year. According to experts, due to the construction of solar power plants in the country, 600 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity can be generated, which is 8 times more than the total demand of Uzbekistan.

That is why foreign investors are attracted. Many solar power plants are being built. The plant in Karmana district is the first of them.

The construction of the complex began last year. Investments for $110 million were allocated and 300 thousand solar panels were installed. The plant’s capacity is 100 megawatts.

“This plant is the first big step, we might say, the first swallow of Uzbekistan’s new energy system marks the beginning of a completely new stage in the development of the industry. It will generate 252 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. This will save 80 million cubic meters of natural gas and prevent the release of 160 thousand tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The project, called “Nur Navoi Solar”, is implemented by Masdar company of the United Arab Emirates. The President emphasized the cooperation with this country that is developing every year.

In the energy sector alone, six projects with a capacity of 1.7 thousand megawatts worth about $1.5 billion are being implemented jointly with the UAE. In particular, in 2023, a 500-megawatt wind farm will be built in Navoi region in cooperation with Masdar, as well as a 200-megawatt solar station with the participation of the Phanes Group.

The Head of the state thanked foreign investors, all builders and specialists who took part in the construction of the photovoltaic plant.

The importance of this plant is that it will provide sustainable energy for the growing needs of the population and industry at an affordable price of 2.67 US cents per kilowatt-hour.

Another important aspect is that new directions of line production and modern technologies appear thanks to such projects in Uzbekistan.

In particular, for the construction of this plant, electrical equipment from the Uzelektroapparat enterprise, cables from Uzbekkabel, HPC Systems, support columns from the Bektemir metal structures plant were supplied.

In general, such large-scale projects will contribute to the creation of a market for local manufacturers of at least $1 billion per year, as well as the formation of an electrical cluster.

In this cluster, it will be possible to localize the production of solar panels, cable products, transformers, batteries, electric motors, generators and basic equipment for wind farms. This means the employment of thousands of people.

The economy of Uzbekistan is developing rapidly, the share of industry in its structure is increasing. The standard of living of the population is growing, and the use of electrical engineering is increasing. In particular, over the past 5 years, the number of entrepreneurs who consume electricity has increased by 25 percent, and their consumption by 30 percent.

The President also outlined plans for the development of the economy, including the energy sector.

“In the next 5 years, we plan to increase the growth rate of our economy by 1.5 times and bring GDP to at least $100 billion. In this regard, thousands of new industrial enterprises of medium and large size will be launched, and the electricity demand will reach 100 billion kilowatt-hours. This is 30 billion kilowatt-hours more than now.

Therefore, we have very big plans for the implementation of new reforms and projects in the electric power industry. In particular, in the next 5 years, 19 projects worth $6.5 billion will be launched to create new capacities of 11.5 thousand megawatts. By 2030, the share of renewables in electricity generation will exceed 30 percent. To supply electricity to the regions, 3 thousand kilometers of new power transmission lines with a voltage of 500 and 220 kilovolts will be laid”, the President said.

At the same time, 66 low-voltage networks, 74 percent of substations and more than 50 percent of transformer stations are outdated. In this regard, in the next five years, 70 thousand kilometers of low-voltage power transmission lines, 22 thousand transformers and more than 100 substations will be modernized.

The Central Asian countries are working to create a unified energy chain and enhance cooperation in this sphere. The Head of the state noted that for this purpose, joint projects in the sphere of electric power will be implemented, additional trunk grids will be built, which will unite the energy systems of the region’s countries.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pressed the starting lever and launched the solar photovoltaic plant.

Engineers and builders attending the event, local representatives of the older generation and youth, as well as foreign investors, expressed their views on the importance of the new plant.

* * *

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Navoiazot Joint Stock Company. The ceremony of launching two plants for the production of nitric acid, as well as ammonia and urea was held here.

The chemical industry is becoming one of the main drivers of the country’s economy. Previously, the industry produced mainly mineral fertilizers for agriculture, and the share of such products was about 80 percent. Today, due to the production of modern polymers, the share of mineral fertilizers has decreased by 10 percent, and the volume of products for other purposes has increased 6 times.

Over the past five years, the volume of production in the Uzkimyosanoat system has quadrupled, while the export of chemical products has reached $250 million.

The role of Navoiazot Joint Stock Company is great in this. It accounts for almost half of the production of chemical products. About 9 thousand engineers, technologists and workers work here.

The commissioned plants for the production of nitric acid, ammonia and urea will give an additional impetus to the development of the industry. The implementation of projects worth $1.5 billion will triple the production volume at Navoiazot – from $150 million to $410 million per year.

These modern complexes, equipped with the most advanced technologies brought to Uzbekistan for the first time, will, among other things, completely replace the old facilities of the 60-year-old enterprise.

In particular, the first plant will produce 660 thousand tons of ammonia and 578 thousand tons of urea per year. At the same time, energy consumption for the production of one ton of ammonia will be reduced by 2.5 times.

The second plant will produce 500 thousand tons of nitric acid per year and will reduce electricity consumption by 18 times.

These two projects alone will reduce the cost of nitrogen fertilizers by 30 percent.

“There is hard and at the same time honorable work of thousands of hardworking, selfless employees of the enterprise, highly qualified specialists behind these figures”, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev and thanked the collective of the society.

By pressing a symbolic button, the Head of the state launched the production of nitric acid, ammonia and urea at the enterprises.

On December 28, 2019, a complex for the production of polyvinyl chloride, caustic soda and methanol was launched here.

Construction of the second stage of the polyvinyl chloride plant has begun today. The $400 million project will increase the capacity of polyvinyl chloride production from 100 thousand to 220 thousand tons per year, caustic soda – from 75 thousand to 165 thousand tons. Thus, the production of demanded products worth $210 million per year will be established in the electrical, furniture, construction, household chemicals and other industries. Its commissioning is scheduled for 2023.

It is also important that based on this enterprise it is planned to create a large integrated chemical-technological one based on Navoiazot and the Electrochemical plant.

The Head of the state highlighted the potential and prospects of this association.

“In this cluster, 23 projects worth $3.4 billion will be implemented in the coming years. The cluster will produce 33 types of high-value-added products. In particular, by the end of the year, the cluster will launch two projects for manufacturing products for the chemical, leather, furniture and construction materials industries. The most important thing is that more than 3 thousand people will be employed at Navoiazot”, the President said.

Economic projects in the country are based on the principles of rational placement and complementarity. So, by 2030, it is planned to build solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of 8 thousand megawatts, which will save 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. This gas will be used to manufacture products with high added value.

“Before we sold mainly cotton and gas. Now we do not sell abroad, but we process ourselves. We even purchase if necessary. Why? There are more enterprises, more products are being manufactured”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

In this regard, in the coming years, it is planned to create 6 chemical-technological clusters, the first of which was in Navoiazot.

The second cluster will be located in Bukhara region, where polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polypropylene and other polymers will be produced from natural gas. Dozens of modern enterprises for the production of finished goods will be created there.

The third cluster will be built based on Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex and the Dehkanabad Potash Fertilizer Plant in Kashkadarya region. It will produce the main components of detergents and household chemicals, bimodal polyethylene and other goods.

The fourth cluster based on Ferganaazot will produce varnishes, melamine for furniture and synthetic fibers for the textile industry.

The fifth cluster will be located in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, in Ustyurt. It organizes the production of soda ash, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polypropylene.

The sixth cluster in Tashkent region will produce monoammonium phosphate, sulfur urea, other phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, protein, and detergents.

As a result of the implementation of these projects, by 2026, the volume of production of chemical products will increase 3 times compared to the current year and in 2030 will amount to 7 percent of GDP.

The Head of the state noted the need for training qualified specialists for large-scale projects in this sphere.

For this, a scientific and educational cluster in the field of chemistry will be created in Tashkent’s Ulugbek village. This cluster will include 4 higher education institutions and a modern scientific center for chemistry.

The President also laid a capsule in the foundation of a future polyvinyl chloride plant.

* * *

During his trip to Navoi region, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also visited the remote Tamdyn district. He became familiar with the activities of the plant for processing man-made waste of NMMC, talked with people.

Before the independence, NMMC had 2 plants, and in subsequent years 4 hydrometallurgical plants were built. As a result, the volume of ore processing increased by 3 times, and the volume of production by 2 times. Naturally, as the volume of excavation of the rock mass increases, a large amount of waste is formed.

The new plant specializes in obtaining gold from the processing of man-made waste. Therefore, it is also called the 7th hydrometallurgical plant.

According to the development program of NMMC, it is planned to implement 27 projects worth $3.4 billion by 2026. A new plant is also among these projects.

The enterprise with a total cost of about $200 million can process 15 million tons of man-made waste per year and produce more than 7 tons of gold. It is noteworthy that there will be enough waste for these purposes until 2040.

Lightweight structures and energy-saving technologies were used in the construction process. The production of many types of equipment and components that were previously imported has been localized. They are produced in the workshops of Navoi Machine-Building Plant and the workshops of mining departments. Domestic components are also used in the process of chemical waste treatment.

All this is an important factor in further reducing costs.

The company employs more than 1,100 people – young specialists-graduates of Navoi State Mining Institute and residents.

The President talked with the plant’s employees, general public and youth of Tamdyn district.

“Over the past four years, the volume of work on the development of our underground resources has increased by 30 percent. New, advanced technologies have come to our industry. Most importantly, a generation of specialists is being formed who can work at such modern enterprises. Therefore, you are even more valuable for our state”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Projects implemented at NMMC were also presented here.

The Head of the state also talked to journalists, told about the economic efficiency of the enterprises put into operation today, plans for the development of the domestic industry.

Thereupon, the visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Navoi region has ended.

President has returned to Tashkent after completing his working visit to Navoi region.

UzA