On September 10, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed investment projects aimed at improving the waste management system, waste processing, and electricity generation from solid waste in Uzbekistan.
The meeting noted that consistent measures are being taken in Uzbekistan to ensure environmental sustainability, process household waste, and reduce the burden on landfills. An important role in this process is assigned to introducing modern technologies, turning waste into an economic resource, and widely applying circular economy principles.
To this end, six investment projects for waste-to-energy production are planned for implementation in 2026–2027. Their total cost is $933 million. The projects are being implemented in cooperation with Chinese companies.
As of September 1, $286.8 million in investment has been utilized under these projects. Two thousand local workers have been involved in construction.
The projects will be implemented in the Kashkadarya, Samarkand, Tashkent, Andijan, Fergana, and Namangan regions. The plants in the Kashkadarya and Samarkand regions are scheduled to be commissioned in 2026, while facilities in the other regions will become operational in 2027.
Once fully operational, these enterprises will process 3.6 million tons of municipal solid waste annually and generate 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. At the same time, this will create greater opportunities for a phased transition to the “zero waste” principle, reducing the burden on landfills, and improving the environmental situation.
During the meeting, five additional prospective waste-to-energy investment projects involving companies from Singapore, South Korea, and China were also reviewed. Their total cost is $625 million. The projects are planned for implementation in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the Jizzakh, Surkhandarya, Bukhara, and Khorezm regions.
Once implemented, these projects will make it possible to process 1.9 million tons of municipal solid waste annually and generate 635 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. They will save 158 million cubic meters of natural gas and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 316 thousand tons.
Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of accelerating the implementation of these projects and training qualified specialists in this field.
