President Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid a visit to the Topalang hydroelectric power station in the Surxondaryo region on November 16, conducting a thorough inspection of the recent modernization efforts aimed at boosting the country's energy capacity.
As Uzbekistan experiences remarkable economic and population growth, the demand for energy resources continues to surge. In response, the government has been diligently tapping into all available resources, with a strong focus on the development of hydropower. Over the past few years, 19 new hydroelectric power stations have been constructed, and 13 existing ones have undergone significant modernization.
The crown jewel among these projects is the Topalang hydroelectric station, which initially launched in 2006 with two units boasting a combined capacity of 30 megawatts. President Mirziyoyev, during his visit in April 2019, ordered the construction of two additional hydro aggregates, accompanied by a 20-meter elevation of the reservoir dam. This strategic move increased the station's capacity from 380 mn to 500 mn cubic meters. Leveraging modern technologies, two hydro aggregates with a combined capacity of 145 megawatts were installed.
Consequently, the total capacity of the Topalang Hydroelectric Power Station now stands at an impressive 175 megawatts, making it the second-largest power station in the country, following the Charvoq HPP.
In terms of efficiency, this expansion results in an additional 467 mn kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. Nearly 167,000 households benefit from improved electricity supply, leading to a substantial annual saving of approximately 107 mn cubic meters of natural gas.
Having commissioned the modernization project in March of this year, President Mirziyoyev returned to Surxondaryo to assess the progress. A presentation highlighted plans for expanding hydropower capacity along the Topalang River, with 20 promising projects set for construction in the upper reaches of the river. These projects collectively aim to generate an additional 264 megawatts of power in the coming years.
Encouraging further development, President Mirziyoyev emphasized the potential for constructing micro hydroelectric power stations in various streams and neighborhoods across the region.
Additionally, discussions during the visit addressed the significant coal reserves discovered in Surxondaryo, totaling 82 mn tons. Presently, the region extracts 541,000 tons, and there is a call to increase this volume to 2 mn tons. President Mirziyoyev underscored the importance of training specialists to support this growth in coal mining operations.
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