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Issues of increasing energy efficiency and developing the energy market were discussed.

On January 14, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on issues of improving energy efficiency and introducing market mechanisms in the electricity supply sector.

According to an analysis by international experts, Uzbekistan is among the most energy-intensive countries. In particular, nearly 50 percent of final energy consumption in the country falls on buildings, while energy consumption per square meter is several times higher than in European countries.

In this regard, last year a separate agency was established to carry out systemic reforms in the field of energy efficiency. The new structure has been tasked with reducing energy consumption in the economy by at least 20 percent by 2030, and by 15 percent in government institutions and social organizations.

The presentation reviewed the agency’s work plans for 2026.

Most buildings in the country were constructed in the 1960s–1970s, and the level of energy losses remains high. Therefore, it is planned to launch large-scale efforts to improve the energy efficiency of social facilities and residential areas. This year, 150 billion soums in subsidies and compensations will be allocated for these purposes.

It was noted that in improving the energy efficiency of social facilities, of which there are more than 30,000 across the republic, special attention should be paid to expanding the participation of international financial institutions and attracting private investment.

Thus, within this year’s investment program, 770 social facilities will be modernized based on energy efficiency standards. To this end, funds from international financial institutions amounting to 264 million US dollars will be attracted.

Issues related to the development of mechanisms for generating income through energy savings were also considered, including the development of energy service company (ESCO) services and the formation of an appropriate market.

Plans were reported to widely utilize the capabilities of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in conducting building energy audits, as well as in the design and modeling of facilities based on energy efficiency standards.

Specific plans to improve energy efficiency in the industrial sector were also outlined. In particular, this year it is planned to install solar panels at 142 textile enterprises. This will allow enterprises to save 722 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 693 billion soums. It is also planned to modernize 300 pumps in the drinking water supply system.

Special attention was paid to problems in the centralized heat supply system. Currently, the high level of energy losses is due to the wear and tear of some boiler houses and heat networks. In this regard, this year, within the framework of modernizing boiler houses and heat systems and converting them to a closed-loop system, it is planned to install 400 individual heat substations and upgrade at least 100 kilometers of heat networks.

Responsible officials were instructed to develop energy efficiency standards and effective regulations for the construction, repair, and reconstruction of buildings.

The presentation also discussed measures being taken to introduce competitive market mechanisms in the electricity sector.

In particular, the transfer of low-voltage networks to the private sector will begin in the Samarkand region, and at the next stage it is planned to scale this practice to the Andijan, Jizzakh, Namangan, Syrdarya, and Tashkent regions, as well as the city of Tashkent. It is expected that this will significantly reduce losses by attracting investment for network modernization.

Information was presented on the progress of work to establish a wholesale electricity market.

To date, a list has been compiled of wholesale consumers that annually consume more than 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. For these enterprises, it has been proposed to introduce a system for purchasing electricity on the wholesale market through direct contracts with hourly pricing.

Currently, work is underway to establish separate regulators for the energy and utilities sectors. Taking into account international experience, a proposal has been put forward to create a single regulator.

Approving the proposals, the President of the country emphasized the importance of improving energy efficiency, the rational use of energy resources, and creating a competitive environment in the energy market, and issued relevant instructions to responsible officials.

Law enforcement agencies and internal affairs bodies were tasked with ensuring strict compliance with legal requirements and the inevitability of liability in the discussed areas, as well as closely cooperating with local authorities to ensure the unconditional implementation of the envisaged measures.

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