The Syrdarya power plant is a 1.5GW gas-fired, combined-cycle power project being developed in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan.

The project is being developed on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power through a bilateral agreement and a power purchase agreement signed with the Government of Uzbekistan in March 2020.

The construction works on the £929m ($1.2bn) project were started in November 2020 with commissioning expected by the end of 2023.

The Syrdarya gas-fired power plant is expected to generate up to ten billion kWh of electricity a year.

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Location and site details

The Syrdarya combined-cycle power project is being developed on an 84ha-site, approximately 1.9km northeast of the Shirin city, in the Bayaut district, Syrdarya region, Uzbekistan.

The project site lies adjacent to the border of Tajikistan and is located in close proximity to the existing Syrdarya thermal power plant.

Syrdarya power plant make-up

The Syrdarya power plant will comprise two natural gas-fired combined-cycle power blocks of 750MW capacity each.

Each power block will be equipped with two gas turbines, one steam turbine and two heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs).

The other components of the plant will include a closed-loop cooling water system, a gas receiving terminal, a gas pumping station, water treatment facilities, flue stacks, and a switchgear station.

Natural Gas supply

The gas supply to the power plant will be executed through an agreement between JSC National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan and JSC Uztransgaz.

The power plant is expected to consume up to 1.58 million tonnes (Mt) of natural gas a year.

Water consumption

The Syrdarya power plant is estimated to consume water at a rate of approximately 1965m3/h which will be  sourced from the YG canal.

Power evacuation

The electricity generated by the Syrdarya combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant will be evacuated through a 500kV overhead power transmission line to the National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan.

Power purchase agreement

ACWA power signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan in March 2020.

The power generated from Syrdarya power plant will be sold to JSC National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan for a period of 25 years.

Project finance

The power project will be funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG).

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) will provide guarantees for non-shareholder loans.

Contractors involved

5 Capitals Environmental and Management Consulting was engaged by ACWA Power for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the Syrdarya power plant project in 2020.

Entran was subcontracted by 5 Capitals Environmental and Management Consulting for the assessment of air quality and noise impact.

China Gezhouba Group International Engineering Company has been engaged for the construction works, while Juru Energy was contracted to provide technical advisory services for the project in 2020.

First National Operation and Maintenance Company (NOMAC) has been engaged for the operation and maintenance of the Syrdarya power plant.

Syrdarya thermal power station details

The 1.5GW Syrdarya gas-fired, combined-cycle power project is being developed adjacent to the existing Syrdarya thermal power plant, which was commissioned during 1972 and 1981. The existing power station uses a combination of fuel oil and natural gas with eight 300MW units and two 325MW units for a total generating capacity of 3,065MW.

The Uzbekistan Ministry of Energy announced to decommission the existing four units and modernise the remaining six units of the Syrdarya thermal power plant in June 2020.