Acwa Power starts Uzbek hydrogen plant construction
30 November 2023
Saudi-based utility developer and investor Acwa Power has broken ground on the first phase of a green hydrogen project in Uzbekistan.
The green hydrogen and ammonia pilot facility will have the capacity to produce 3,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of green ammonia.
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Saudi Arabia Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih (pictured) inaugurated the plant.
The event was attended by Uzbekistan Prime Minister Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov and Acwa Power Founder and Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan.
Uzbekistan’s energy ministry and Uzkimyosanoat, a state-owned chemicals company, signed the heads of terms agreement for the project with Acwa Power in January this year.
This was followed by the signing of the hydrogen purchase and power purchase agreements in May 2023
It is understood that the integrated green hydrogen project will be connected to an existing ammonia plant in Chirchiq, 45 kilometres from the capital Tashkent.
It is expected to generate 3,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of green ammonia to improve the service factor of the facility and reduce its dependence on natural gas.
The project is expected to be commissioned in December 2024.
A second, larger phase of the project is planned, where a wind farm with a capacity of 2,400MW will power the production of 500,000 t/y of green ammonia.
Once completed, the entire project is expected to reduce Uzbekistan’s dependence on natural gas by 600 million cubic metres a year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 million t/y.
Acwa Power has five existing projects in Uzbekistan, including four wind projects and a combined-gas cycle turbine facility. The country is the second largest in terms of value for the company after its home market of Saudi Arabia.
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