The Ministry of Energy told how environmental factors are taken into account when selecting sites for wind and solar power plants

    Environment 17 June 2022 2257

    The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan, when developing renewable energy projects, attaches paramount importance to the environmental study and monitoring of the situation not only at the proposed power plant construction sites themselves, but also within a radius of about 50 km around.

    The work is carried out by specialists of the Ministry of Energy together with consultants and environmental and social experts. Data is collected on all the biodiversity that will surround the power plant, from ants to gazelles and golden eagles, as well as plants growing nearby and groundwater.

    For example, such work was carried out with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on a project to build a wind power plant (WPP) with a capacity of about 200 MW in the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

    In the process of conducting research, golden eagles and eagles, kekliks, kobchiki, larks and rare species of bullfinches, cranes and blue larks, foxes and gazelles were found in the territory surrounding the project.

    Based on the results of observations, internationally recognized experts have prepared a report that complies with all international norms and standards for the conservation of ecology and biodiversity. The observations and simulations of the movements of birds and mammals made it possible to identify potential minimal risks and prepare a plan to eliminate them.

    Well-known domestic experts in the field of environmental protection and biology were involved in the process of studying and preparing a report on them. Among them are Doctor of Biological Sciences, Acting Professor of the Department of Ecology and Soil Science of Karakalpak State University Yakub Ametov, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Nizhny Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve Akylbek Tureev.

    Without this report and preparatory measures, the construction of a large industrial wind farm would have been impossible.

    Projects for the construction of solar and wind power plants, including their environmental assessment, are carried out by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the support of reputable international development institutions such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.