First major private sector solar power loan for Uzbekistan signed

On 23 December, ADB and the Nur Navoi Solar (NNS) signed loans of up to $I7.5 million to build a 100-megawatt (MW) solar power plant that will be the first public–private partnership renewable energy project in Uzbekistan. The project will is crucial in increasing the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix while also improving access to affordable and reliable renewable energy in rural parts of the country.The 100 MW project that will be built near Navoi City in central Uzbekistan will generate around 258.2 gigawatt-hours of clean energy annually, avoiding 157,502 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year. NNS will provide its energy output to the National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan under a 25-year power purchase agreement.The financing package for the plant, to be built near Navoi City in central Uzbekistan, includes a loan from ADB and a loan from the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia II (CFPS II), which will be administered by ADB.