📋 Tender Overview
Project Name
Samarkand 2 Solar PV and BESS Project
Project Number
58291-001
Borrower / Company
ACWA Power Sazagan Solar 2 LLC
Country / Economy
Uzbekistan
Location
Type or Modality of Assistance
Operational Priorities
OP2: Accelerating progress in gender equality
OP3: Tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability
Sector / Subsector
Energy / Renewable energy generation - solar
Gender
Effective gender mainstreaming
Project Sponsor(s)
ACWA Power Company
Description
The project involves a 500 megawatt alternating current (MWac) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, 668 megawatt hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS), transmission line and other auxiliary infrastructure and will be one of the first utility-scale renewable energy projects with BESS component in Uzbekistan. The Project will help unlock Uzbekistan's significant untapped wind resource potential and provide sustainable electricity for the country's economic development.
Objectives and Scope
Uzbekistan's new energy policy emphasizes the deployment of renewable energy, encouraged by early achievements to invite private sector investments in multiple large solar and wind power projects, the government is currently working on increasing the solar capacity to 7 GW and wind capacity to 5 GW. This project is expected to establish bankable precedents intended to catalyze further private sector participation in Uzbekistan's renewable energy sector.
Environmental Aspects
The project will involve construction of 500MW solar PV plant, 668 MWh BESS, and other auxiliary infrastructure including 350 kilometer length 500 kV transmission lines and 220/500 kV substation in Samarkand and Bukhara regions. The construction of the project facilities will generate temporary construction related environmental, health and safety (EHS) impacts associated with air quality, noise, traffic impacts, waste and wastewater generation, labor and working conditions, occupational health and safety, public health and safety, landscape and visual impacts and potential impacts to cultural resources. During the project operation phase, EHS impacts are anticipated to be limited to those relating to cleaning and maintenance of the facilities. These are being assessed under the lenders environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) and associated mitigation and monitoring measures are being formulated under the project environmental and social management and monitoring plan (ESMP). The project will develop and environmental and social management system (ESMS) with relevant processes and procedures to manage the identified E&S aspects. In addition, the extensive land requirement for the power plants and BESS as well as the construction of the overhead transmission lines of over 400km pose long-term biodiversity risks (the 350km TL route is located within an endangered species, great Bustard, critical habitat). The biodiversity risks and im
