Uzbekenergo plans to attract $40-mln EBRD credit
Posted 03/20/2002 Tashkent. (Interfax)
The state company Uzbekenergo is holding talks with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to attract a credit of $40 million to carry out the second phase of reconstruction of Syrdarya State Regional Power Plant - the largest thermal power plant in Uzbekistan, a source in the company told Interfax. As part of the project it is planned to modernize existing power- producing units at the plant. The final amount of work, including the number of power-producing units to be modernized, will be established after the preparation of a feasibility study for the project. It is expected that the credit may be granted by the end of this year under guarantees from the Uzbek government. As reported earlier, in 1999 the EBRD granted the Uzbek government a credit of $27.8 million to implement the first stage of the reconstruction of Syrdarya State Regional Power Plant. At the moment Siemens AG, which won a tender for the project, is completing the modernization of two of the 10 power-producing units at the plant. In January the German company launched one of the two modernized units and work is being completed on the second, which may be launched by April. The capacity of Syrdarya State Regional Power Plant currently amounts to 3,000 megawatts (each power-producing unit has a capacity of 300 megawatts). The government owns 51% of shares in the company, the workforce - 1% and it is planned to sell 48% to a foreign investor by tender, to be announced by the end of the year
