Uzbekistan Initiates Urgent Coal Delivery and Energy System Upgrades

An extra 60,000 tons of coal must be delivered to social facilities by November 10. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev discussed hydropower projects and preparedness for the autumn-winter season on October 31.

They reviewed the energy system's readiness and highlighted that over the past five years, more than 4 trillion soums have been allocated for network and transformer upgrades. However, some regional governors have not focused enough on these improvements, leading to a lack of reserves for autumn and winter.

Around 33,000 transformers and 122,000 kilometers of electrical networks in the regions are outdated, resulting in a 12% loss of produced electricity. In 20 districts, electricity loss is 1.5 times higher than the national average.

As a result, the Ministry of Energy was tasked to create a three-year plan to renew old transformers and networks. Regional governors and prosecutors were instructed to execute this program.

The goal is to reduce total losses to 8% by 2026. The meeting also addressed repairs for boiler houses and heat networks, with some regions like Andijan, Namangan, and Surkhandarya falling behind. Within two weeks, efforts were mobilized to finish repair work on boiler houses and heating networks. It was stressed to accelerate the replacement of old, high-energy-consuming boilers in social institutions.

Supplying enough coal for this year's autumn-winter season to meet the needs of the population and social institutions is crucial. Hence, an additional 60,000 tons of coal must be delivered to social facilities by November 10.

Issues were raised about improper coal distribution systems in some regions, leading to illegal sales at inflated prices and instances of theft. The Prosecutor General's Office was directed to establish a control system for coal distribution. Additionally, leaders of networks and regions presented their information at the meeting.