The Uzbek government has decided not to undertake a second phase of development at the Tupolang hydroelectric power plant in the Surkhandarya region, according to the Interfax news agency.
The decision is said to be based upon limitations concerning the capacity of the plant’s reservoir. A contract for the supply of equipment worth US$27.5M by China’s CNEEC energy corporation has been annulled, but CNEEC will instead be offered participation in the construction of the Akhangaran and Andizhan hydro power plants.
The 30MW Tupolang scheme was scheduled to start operation in late March this year. Work on the plant started in 1992 under a programme to develop small hydroelectric power plants in Uzbekistan.