Uzbekistan awaits RfQs in solar tenders for 600 MW

Uzbekistan last week launched two Requests for Qualifications (RfQs) as part of tenders seeking to award at least 600 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity.

The first competitive selection covers two projects, with a minimum capacity of 200 MW each, in the Kattakurgan district of Samarkand region and the Jizzakh region’s Gallaorol district, respectively. Through the tender rounds, the government seeks to contract private sector developers or consortia that will be tasked with the development, financing, construction, ownership and operation of solar parks.

Qualification applications are due by September 26, 2020.

The two projects are part of a bigger initiative for the deployment of as much as 900 MW of solar PV capacity through public-private partnerships (PPPs). The tenders are being held with the assistance of the World Bank’s International Finance Corp (IFC). In March, 84 companies and consortia filed Expressions of Interest (EOI) to take part in the tender.

Separately, another RfQ was open for a 200-MW solar farm in the Sherabad district of Surkhandarya province as part of a programme for 1 GW of solar deployments in Uzbekistan with the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) help. This is the first project of this programme.

August 25 is the final deadline for participating in the RfQ. The EoI stage has attracted 54 bids.

Uzbekistan aims to lift the share of its installed renewables capacity by up to 5 GW in the next 10 years.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!