Uzbekistan may experience temporary power outages due to the forced shutdown of one of the key turbines at the Syrdarya Thermal Power Plant and a general seasonal decrease in solar power generation. This was reported by the Ministry of Energy, emphasizing that the outages may affect certain regions mainly during peak evening demand hours - from 17:00 to 21:00.
A serious rotor malfunction was detected on gas turbine No. 2 of the station. To restore the operation of the 1500 MW power unit, Mitsubishi manufactured a new rotor under the investor's warranty obligations. The 114-ton unit was delivered to Tashkent by a special flight on December 8 and sent to the station. Installation and testing will take about a month.
The Ministry of Energy explained that reserve capacities and new power units have been included to cover the deficit, but solar generation drops significantly in winter due to cloudiness and short daylight hours. The department warns: if balancing is required, consumers will be notified of temporary outages in advance. These measures, according to the ministry, are necessary for the stable operation of the power system.
After the installation of the new rotor, the turbine will return to its design capacity, and temporary restrictions will cease. The Syrdarya TPP is one of the largest power plants in the country: its capacity is 1500 MW, which is equivalent to approximately 5.5% of all power plants in Uzbekistan and about 10% of the total capacity of thermal power plants. The facility, launched at the end of 2023 by ACWA Power with the support of international financial institutions, is designed to generate up to 10-12 billion kWh of electricity per year.
