World Bank approves $100M loan to support renewable energy integration in Uzbekistan

The World Bank has approved a $100 million concessional loan to Uzbekistan to help integrate renewable energy into power grids and enhance electricity reliability in key regions. The national grid operator will contribute an additional $50 million to the five-year program.

The Executive Board of the World Bank has approved a concessional loan of $100 million to support Uzbekistan in implementing a major program focused on integrating renewable energy into the country’s distribution networks and improving power reliability in priority regions.

Uzbekistan’s national power distributor, Regional Electric Power Networks, will contribute an additional $50 million from its own funds, bringing the total investment to $150 million over the next five years.

The program aims to modernize and expand critical distribution infrastructure to facilitate the incorporation of renewable energy sources and ensure consistent electricity supply, particularly in Karakalpakstan and Surkhandarya region.

Key components of the program include:

- Construction and modernization of 6,000 kilometers of low-voltage power lines

- Replacement and installation of 1,200 distribution transformers with a total capacity of 250 MVA

- Installation of 150,000 smart meters to reduce commercial losses in RES networks

- Deployment of 4,000 data concentrators to automate and digitize the distribution system, transforming it into a modern and efficient network

By 2029, the program is expected to deliver significant results:

- Raise customer satisfaction with RES services to 90%

- Expand the network’s capacity to accept up to 50 MW of renewable energy generated by households and small to medium enterprises

- Cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 450,000 tons of CO₂ annually

- Increase the proportion of women in technical and managerial roles at JSC RES from 9% in 2025 to 14%.

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