Voltalia Plans to Construct Hybrid Power Plant in Bukhara
French renewable energy company Voltalia has recently secured an agreement with Uzbekistan to supply electricity as part of a major project. The project, named “Artemisia,” will involve the construction of a 426 MW power complex and a battery storage system, scheduled to begin in 2026.
The agreement, signed on March 11 during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to France, was made with the state-owned Uzenergosotish JSC, along with the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade. The Artemisia project will be developed in the Bukhara region and will include a 126 MW photovoltaic complex, a 300 MW wind farm, and a 100 MW (200 MWh) battery storage system.
The agreement stipulates that the contract will be valid for 25 years for the generation facilities and 15 years for the battery storage system. Construction is set to begin in 2026, with the solar farm and battery storage system starting in the first quarter, and the wind farm following in the third quarter.
Once operational, the Artemisia project is expected to meet the electricity needs of approximately 2.5 million people and help prevent the release of 598,000 tons of CO2 annually.
In addition to the Artemisia project, Voltalia has also agreed to the key terms of the Turan Storage project, aiming to develop a 500 MW battery storage system in Khorezm. Furthermore, Voltalia will be implementing a pilot agrivoltaics project in the Tashkent region, set to launch in August of this year.
Voltalia’s partnership with Uzbekistan began in November 2022, with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) providing financial support for the projects. The company’s first power plant in Uzbekistan, located in Khorezm, began construction in February 2024, with funding from the EBRD and the European Union to support the initiative. The collaboration between Voltalia and Uzbekistan marks a significant step towards sustainable energy development in the region.
