The head of state’s trips to the regions are traditionally accompanied by the launch of large projects. Today, construction of major energy and transport complexes has begun in the Bukhara region.
Over the past five years, the volume of the processing industry in our country has increased 14 times, and last year alone it amounted to 553 trillion Uzbek soums. This figure has increased 16 times in Bukhara, reaching 30 trillion Uzbek soums.
In the region, work is underway on 41 projects worth US $7 billion in foreign investments and 39 projects funded by local investments for the same amount.
Plans include constructing three more major facilities: a gas-chemical complex, a solar power plant, and an international airport in Bukhara.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the significance of these projects.
The gas-chemical complex, which will be built in the “Karakul” Free Economic Zone, will be the first plant in our country to operate using the “methanol to olefins” (MTO) technology.
Approximately US $5 billion in investments and advanced technologies from the USA, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Italy, and China will be attracted to the project. The complex will process 13 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 430 thousand tons of naphtha per year, producing 11 million tons of polymer products in demand both domestically and globally. According to calculations, the added value of these products will be five times the value of the gas.
The new plant will employ 2 thousand people. Additionally, it will spur the creation of dozens of enterprises in the construction, textile, leather-shoe, automotive, electrical engineering, and other related industries, leading to the creation of 4 thousand more jobs.
The launch of these projects will turn Bukhara into a “driver” not only of tourism but also of industry.
Stable economic growth increases the demand for electricity by an average of 6 percent per year. Therefore, new generating capacities are being created in the regions.
In recent years, 10 solar and wind power plants with a capacity of 2 gigawatts have been connected to the grid with US $2 billion in foreign investments. Currently, 32 “green” generation facilities with a total capacity of 183 gigawatts are being built in partnership with foreign partners, totaling US $19 billion.
This year, the first 26 gigawatts from 14 solar and wind plants will be connected to the grid. As a result, the share of renewable energy in the total electricity production in our country will increase from 9 to 15 percent. By 2030, this figure is planned to reach 40 percent.
Of course, sunny Bukhara plays a special role in this. Currently, 9 major projects with a capacity of 4 gigawatts worth about US $45 billion in foreign investments are being implemented in the region.
Now, a 250-megawatt solar power plant will be added, which will be built by the “Masdar” company from the United Arab Emirates. For this project, 648 hectares of land have been allocated in the Alat district. The plant is planned to be connected to the unified energy network in December 2025.
Additionally, renewable energy complexes are being built in the Bukhara region by “ACWA Power” from Saudi Arabia and “Gezhouba” from China. By 2030, the region’s capacity will increase 9 times to 125 billion kilowatt-hours of “green” energy per year.
Another project that has started is a new international airport.
Thanks to the state’s open policy, connections with the world are strengthening. A visa-free regime has been introduced in Uzbekistan for citizens of more than 90 countries.
As a result, the flow of foreign visitors has increased. Over the past 2 years, the share of tourism in service exports has reached 40 percent. 283 hotels, 486 hostels, and 12 thousand family guesthouses have been built. The tourist flow has increased by 35 percent.
In 2023, about 14 million foreign tourists visited Bukhara.
Such factors require an increase in the number of flights at the region’s international airport. Therefore, the construction of a new international airport in the Bukhara district is planned under a public-private partnership.
As part of this project, worth US $226 million, infrastructure meeting international standards will be created. Conditions for serving 12,000 passengers per hour are envisaged. By improving the quality of passenger and aircraft services, new international airlines will be attracted.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched the construction of these complexes by pressing a symbolic button.
A presentation of projects planned for construction in the Bukhara region, including the new airport, also took place here.