EBRD backs Uzbekistan steel plant modernisation with $25m loan

EBRD backs Uzbekistan steel plant modernisation with $25m loan
logo of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) , 23 June, 2026
Reuters

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced a loan of up to $25 million to support energy-efficiency upgrades at Tashkent Pipe Plant (TPP), one of Uzbekistan’s leading private steel producers.

Modernising steel production

The financing will enable the company to replace and modernise key production equipment, including the drawing mill used to manufacture long steel products such as wire rods. TPP will also install energy-efficient technologies at its pipe insulation workshop, including a medium-frequency induction heating system used in metal hardening and forging processes.

According to the EBRD, the project will support the continued modernisation of the company’s steel manufacturing operations while expanding production capacity for insulated large-diameter pipes used in infrastructure and industrial projects.

The upgrades are expected to reduce the plant’s annual natural gas consumption by 22 per cent and cut electricity use by up to 35 per cent, helping to improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions.

Supporting sustainable industrial growth

The investment is expected to strengthen TPP’s competitiveness and help meet growing demand for steel products in Uzbekistan’s construction and infrastructure sectors.

The project is being supported through the Japan-EBRD Cooperation Fund and the EBRD’s Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change programme, which promotes the adoption of resource-efficient technologies.

The EBRD remains one of Uzbekistan’s largest international investors. To date, the bank has invested nearly $6.9 billion across 210 projects in the country, with most of the funding directed towards private sector development.

Uzbekistan has also remained the largest recipient of EBRD financing in Central Asia for the past six consecutive years.

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