President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the activities of a new small hydroelectric power station built next to the Gissarak reservoir in the Shakhrisabz region of Kashkadarya, reports «Darakchi».

Gissarak Reservoir was built in 1987 and extensively reconstructed in 2004. The main hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 45 megawatts, commissioned in 2011, also operates in this area. It generates about 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, covering the needs of approximately 33 thousand households.

A new small hydroelectric power station in the Shakhrisabz region with a capacity of 3.5 megawatts will generate an average of 17.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.  The total cost of the station is $1.5 million. Thanks to its work, it will be possible to save up to 5 million cubic meters of natural gas annually. The electricity received will be enough to supply about 7.3 thousand households.

The head of state was presented with information about future plans in hydropower.

Among the priority projects — construction over the next two years of 416 micro-hydroelectric power plants with kinetic turbines with a total capacity of 12 megawatts. These installations will make efficient use of the flow of water in ditches and canals.

Currently, three hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 49 megawatts operate in the Kashkadarya region. In the future, thanks to new projects, this figure will increase significantly. It is planned that hydropower will cover up to 15 percent of the population’s electricity needs.

Overall, over the past eight years, electricity production in Uzbekistan has increased by 38 percent and reached 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours.