Qizilqum Solar PV Plant (500 MW) and 220 kV Grid Connection
EBRD is considering financing a 500 MW solar power plant and a new 220 kV power line in Uzbekistan's Navoi Region. The plant would supply electricity to around 300,000 homes and connect to the national grid via a 45 km transmission line. We want to hear from residents, herders, and local organisations about how construction and operation could affect land, water, and livelihoods before a final decision is made.
The proposed project comprises a utility-scale photovoltaic solar plant (approx. 1,000 hectares), internal access roads, an on-site substation, and a 45 km 220 kV overhead transmission line connecting to the existing Navoi grid node. Classified Category A under EBRD's Environmental and Social Policy due to its land footprint, linear infrastructure, and potential effects on semi-arid grazing land and seasonal water sources. This consultation discloses the draft ESIA package for a 60-day public comment period. Feedback will inform the final ESAP, the Land Acquisition and Livelihood Restoration Framework, and the transmission line routing decision.
Project Documents
Location
Tomdi District, Navoi Region (fictional site near Sho'rquduq village)
UZ
Map PlaceholderCommunity submissions (public)
I welcome this project and the idea of producing clean energy locally. This region has abundant sunlight and limited economic opportunity, and a project of this scale — if managed well — could bring jobs, better roads, and energy security. My condition is that the benefits visibly reach the people who live near the plant for decades, not just outside contractors. If EBRD's monitoring includes a publicly reported community benefit tracker, I would consider that a meaningful commitment worth holding the project to.
The planned 220 kV corridor appears to pass within about 800 metres of the Yangi Hayot residential cluster and crosses three melon fields. I would like to understand whether southern alternative routes were evaluated, the setback distance from homes, and whether affected landowners receive rental or acquisition compensation under Uzbek law. I also ask for a community meeting in our settlement — not only the regional capital — so residents can see the detailed routing maps.
I am concerned about how the transmission line and access roads might affect the small irrigation channels running through the area. In previous projects, earthworks have cut across or blocked irrigation flows without proper reinstatement, causing crop losses for farmers with no effective way to claim compensation. I ask that all irrigation infrastructure in the corridor be surveyed before works, and that any planned interruption be agreed in advance with affected water users and fully reinstated within a defined, binding timeframe.
The project area overlaps documented habitat for the Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) and several raptor species that nest in saxaul scrubland. The released brief references no herpetological or ornithological baseline survey within the specific footprint. We request the ESIA include a full seasonal biodiversity survey — including a round covering spring tortoise emergence — before ground-clearing, and that an independently approved translocation protocol be a binding condition in the ESAP.
We appreciate the detailed technical input from the Navoi Environmental Monitoring Group. The ESIA terms of reference now require a full herpetological and ornithological baseline survey, including two rounds to capture spring tortoise emergence. A translocation and monitoring protocol will be developed with an independent qualified ecologist and published as a binding annex to the Environmental and Social Action Plan before any ground-clearing.
Heavy construction vehicles need access routes to a remote desert site, and existing tracks are not built for sustained heavy loads. When those tracks deteriorate, it is local people and their animals who are affected, not the contractor. I ask the project to commit to restoring all access tracks to at least their original condition after construction, and to establish a clear, simple process for residents to report road damage and receive timely repairs.