Acwa Power broke ground on its USD 260 mn Beruniy wind plant in Uzbekistan, according to a statement. The project is being developed in partnership with National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan (Negy) and includes the construction of a 200 MW wind power plant and a 100 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Karakalpakstan.

By the numbers: The Karakalpakstan project aims to generate 0.8 TWh of clean energy annually, meeting the electricity needs of approximately 292k households, and reducing CO2 emissions by 336k tons per year, Acwa says. It will build a 45 km, double-circuit 220 kV power transmission line to connect the plant to substation. The project is slated for commercial operations in 4Q 2026.

Acwa is building a significant wind portfolio in Uzbekistan: The company signed a SAR18.2 bn (c. USD 4.9 bn) power purchase agreement with Negu to develop a new 5 GW wind farm — set to become the largest in Central Asia — in May. It also signed a SAR 985 mn (c. 262.6 mn) power purchase agreement to develop the 200 MW Nukus 2 wind project in April, and a USD 2.4 bn agreement with the Negu for a 1.5 GW wind energy farm in January. Acwa has a total of 15 projects in Uzbekistan for around USD 13.9 bn.

Solar + hydrogen are on Acwa’s list too: Acwa secured some SAR 1.4 bn (c. USD 373.2 mn) in financing to fund its 200 MW solar PV and battery storage project in Uzbekistan last month. Acwa also began construction on its green hydrogen production facility — expected to be commissioned in December 2024 — in Tashkent last year. The plant will be connected to an existing ammonia production plant in Tashkent and will generate 3k tons of green hydrogen annually during its initial production phase.

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