Uzbekistan has issued a tender for two 200MWac solar projects in the regions of Samarkand and Jizzakh.
In a recent statement, the government of Uzbekistan said it is looking for one or two private sector developers or consortia for the projects.
Both facilities are to be contracted to supply power for 25 years to National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan.
The World Bank’s development finance arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), will act as the transaction adviser.
The tender will be conducted in two stages. Investors must submit expressions of interest by 5pm Tashkent time on 21 March, with interested parties then invited to submit prequalification applications.
Prequalified bidders will be then asked to assess the project, comment on the project agreements and submit binding technical and financial proposals at a later stage.
The government of the Central Asian state has been working with the IFC to roll out the structuring and tendering of up to 900MW of solar PV through private-public-partnerships (PPPs).
The country, which is targeting 5GW of new renewables by 2030, has as of late become a hive of solar development activity.
Another development financier – the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – has committed to sponsoring 1GW of solar in the country, starting with a 200MW tender issued in early February.
The country is also home to a 100MW project being developed by UAE firm Masdar Clean Energy, a 100MW plant backed by France's Total Eren and a 110MW project being developed by Thailand's Helios Energy. For its part, Canada’s Skypower Global is also eyeing a 1GW pipeline in the country.
