live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
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%.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
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