Uzbekistan Weighs Electricity Exports to South Asia and Afghanistan

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on 16 October, during an open dialogue with fuel and energy investors, that Uzbekistan has invested more than $2 billion in modernising its electricity grids since 2021. Key priorities include upgrading grid infrastructure and developing energy storage systems.

By 2030, plans call for 5,000 km of power lines, 16 large substations and battery storage capacity of 4.5 GW. Most new projects will be located in seven regions: Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, Jizzakh, Samarkand, Namangan, Kashkadarya and Tashkent. Priority will go to integrated projects covering generation, storage and transmission, and investors are being sought to build pumped-storage hydropower plants.

Mirziyoyev also said Uzbekistan does not intend to limit itself to the domestic market. A project to build a Caspian cable with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to deliver "green" electricity to Europe is moving into a practical phase, and Afghanistan and South Asian countries have been named as promising export destinations. Deputy Energy Minister Umid Mamadaminov said in November 2024 that Uzbekistan could export 10–15 billion kWh annually by 2030, using surplus energy after domestic demand is met.