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Construction has begun in Karakalpakstan on the largest wind power plant in the CIS

Construction has begun in Karakalpakstan on the Kungrad wind power plant with a capacity of 1.5 GW. According to ACWA, it will become the largest wind energy project in the CIS.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave the start to construction on September 18 during his trip to Karakalpakstan. The project is being implemented by Saudi ACWA.

The Kungrad wind power plant will include an energy storage system with a capacity of 300 MW. To connect the plant to the unified power grid, it is planned to build about 1,500 kilometers of high-voltage lines and three 500 kV switching stations, as well as modernize two more substations.

At the peak of construction, the project will provide about 4,000 jobs. The localization volume is estimated at about $750 million.

The company is also training specialists for future energy facilities. Currently, 78 students from Karakalpakstan are studying at Shirin College.

ACWA projects worth $4 billion

The Kungrad wind power plant will become part of ACWA`s larger energy portfolio in Karakalpakstan.

Projects «Nukus-1» and «Nukus-2» are already operating in the region in the Beruniy and Karauzak districts. Their combined capacity is 300 MW, and the capacity of the energy storage systems is 100 MW.

Together with the planned and under-construction facilities, the total capacity of ACWA`s projects in Karakalpakstan will reach about 2.3 GW. The investment volume is estimated at about $4 billion, and the total capacity of the energy storage systems at 650 MW.

It is expected that all of the company`s projects in the region will be able to generate about 8.77 billion kWh of electricity annually. According to ACWA, this is enough to meet the needs of about 2.4 million households.

The projects will also make it possible to save about 2.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 5 million tons per year.

By 2030, the total capacity of wind power plants in Karakalpakstan is planned to be increased to 3.3 GW, and the share of green energy to 76%.