Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy released EOI for its 100 MW Wind Project

The Ministry of Energy, Uzbekistan has released the invitation for Express of Interest (EOI) for its initial wind Public-Private Partnership (PPP) tender of 100 MW. The last date to submit the EOI form is May 13th, 2020.

The location of the project is Qorao’zak district of Karakalpakstan, 90 km southeast of Nukus city, in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The project area is about 1636 hectares (ha), which is currently uninhabited and used for livestock grazing.

As per the Nationally Determined Contribution (“NDC”), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Government of Uzbekistan (“GOU”) has dedicated itself to improve energy efficiency and increase the renewable share in the generation mix of the country.

To meet the NDC objectives, GOU has deployed a strategy to add up to 30 GW of installed capacity by 2030, which includes solar (5 GW), wind (3 GW), and hydro (3.8 GW). Recently, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Energy, Uzbekistan, and ACWA Power to develop a 500-1000 MW wind farm to tap into Uzbekistan’s renewable energy sources.

As a part of the initiative, GOU has introduced a program to support wind projects for less than 1 GW capacity under the public-private partnership (“PPP”) model with assistance from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

GOU planned to develop the broader area with a total capacity of 300 MW, in which 100 MW tender process has started and subsequent tender to procure the rest of 200 MW is remaining.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has appointed a team of international experts to implement a tender process.

Tender Process Snapshot

The tender process consists of two stages.

First Stage:

• Initially, interested players/bidders invited through the submission of the EOI (Expression of Interest) form.
• On successful submission of the EOI forms by the players on May 13th, 2020, the Request for Qualification (RFQ) is expected to be released on June 20th, 2020.
  • The RFQ document will include all the details regarding the pre-qualifications.
  • Advisors will assist the Ministry of Energy (MOE), Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of investments and foreign trade (MIFT) in the pre-qualification of the prospective bidders.
  • Pre-qualified bidders will be selected and announced within 8-10 weeks from the release of RFQ.

Second Stage:
 

• The second stage will start with the issuance of the Request for Proposal (RFP) and this will happen in September 2020 if everything goes as per schedule.
• Only the selected pre-qualified bidders are requested to submit bids.
• The RFP includes crucial documents like PPA, GSA, and Land Lease Agreement.
• Regarding technical, financial, and legal criteria for selecting a bidder will be communicated in the RFP document.
• Advisors assist MOE and MIFT in taking a call on the selection of the winning bidder and signing of the papers.

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