Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Uzbekenergo of Uzbekistan and Mitsubishi, under which the three firms will collaborate in a comprehensive service and maintenance program (CSMP) for power plants owned by Uzbekenergo.
Image: MHPS signs MOU with Uzbekenergo for power plant operation and maintenance support. Photo: Courtesy of Mike Munchel/FreeImages.com.
The agreement was reached as an outgrowth of the latest round of ongoing joint economic talks between Uzbekistan and Japan, held in Tokyo, aimed at promoting bilateral trade and economic development. The new development will further strengthen the steadily expanding cooperation between MHPS and Uzbekenergo based on the O&M agreement they concluded in 2015.
A signing ceremony for the MOU was held at the 14th Uzbek-Japanese Economic Cooperation Forum. The signatories were MHPS President and CEO Kenji Ando; Djamshid Abdusalamov, Deputy Chairman of the Board at Uzbekenergo, and Shimon Tokuyama, General Manager of the Global Environmental & Infrastructure Business Group at Mitsubishi Corporation, in charge of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) operations.
Also in attendance at the ceremony were the co-chairpersons of the Uzbek-Japanese Committee for Economic Cooperation: Sukhrob Kholmuradov, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Investments of Republic of Uzbekistan and Mikio Sasaki, Special Advisor of Mitsubishi Corporation.
The CSMP incorporated into the newly concluded MOU, which aims to enhance O&M technologies, will initially apply to two power plants where MHPS previously supplied equipment (Navoi and Talimarjan) and two plants now under construction (Navoi2 and Turakurgan).
Specifically, MHPS will provide long-term parts supply for the gas turbines in use at the power plants concerned and will also provide advanced O&M technology to Uzbekenergo through IoT-based O&M training of the power provider’s engineers. Discussions will also go forward concerning the establishment of a service center where the engineers developed under this training program will pursue improved gas turbine O&M technologies.
Uzbekenergo is a state-operated power provider established in 2001 that today meets close to 100% of Uzbekistan’s power needs relying on three core fuel sources: coal, petroleum and natural gas. The company has 53 subsidiaries and organizations under its corporate umbrella and has a total power generating capacity of 12.1GW. MHPS-supplied equipment accounts for 20% of this capacity.
The Uzbek-Japanese Economic Cooperation Forum is a series of conferences launched in 1994 under operation by a joint economic committee. Each session brings together numerous government officials from both countries to discuss issues such as bilateral trade and investment.
Going forward, MHPS looks to maintain and further develop its close relationship with Uzbekenergo as its way of contributing to stable and efficient power provision in Uzbekistan.
Source: Company Press Release