OREANDA-NEWS. July 15, 2008. By the end of 2008 the Uzsuvenergo intends to launch four small water power stations worth nearly USD 60 mln. They are promoted to supply the population and economy of Uzbekistan with cheap and environmentally clean electricity, reported the Official website www.investuzbekistan.uz.

The company plans to invest more capital in construction of Andijan small water power stations having capacity of 21 Megawatts and worth USD 52 mln.

Last year the China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC) signed a contract with the Uzbek Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (“Uzsuvenergo” is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources) to deliver equipment for two stations worth over USD 18 mln.

The contract ensures to deliver equipment and install two power units for the Andijan and Ahangaran small water power stations having capacity of 50 and 21 Megawatts and train their staff. The first equipment was already delivered. Annually the Andijan water power station will generate electricity of 171.1 million kilowatts-hour and Ahangaran water power station 66.5 million kilowatts-hour.

Specialists estimated that Uzbekistan has a dozen of water reservoirs, irrigation canals and mountain rivers where the country can construct 141 water power stations having total capacity of 4.6 billion kilowatts-hour. Annually the republic generates nearly 48 billion kilowatts-hour of electricity. Here the share of water power engineering is around 13% in total power industry.

The constructed small water power stations are based on Uzbekistan’s water resources. They are irrigation canals where the country can build low head hydroelectric stations. Their power generators are of high energetic properties and designed for using in a wide diapason of head and expenses. They are autonomous, environmentally clean and quickly paid back electricity generators for rural settlements, farms and small industries in remote areas.

The first small water power station was the three-megawatt Urgut water power station in Samarkand region launched in 2003. Its construction gave power engineers a great hope for prospects. The Tupolang water power station’s (Surkhandarya region) two power generators of 15 megawatts each were launched in 2006. The two power units’ total capacity is 63 million kilowatts-hour a year.