Power output climbs 8.4% to 69.6 billion kWh in nine months as renewables hit milestone

Uzbekistan generated 69.6 billion kWh of electricity in the first nine months of 2026, up 8.4% — or 5.4 billion kWh — compared with the same period a year earlier, the Energy Ministry said on 21 October. Electricity exports rose 21.4% while imports dropped 27.2%, narrowing the country’s dependence on outside supply.

Obidjon Dilmurodov, a chief specialist in the ministry’s public relations department, announced the figures at a briefing. Thermal power plants remained the dominant source, producing 49.1 billion kWh. Large solar and wind installations contributed 10.5 billion kWh, hydropower plants 6.6 billion kWh, small solar installations 2.5 billion kWh and block power plants 867.1 million kWh.

Renewables reach a landmark

The most striking figure in the breakdown concerns large solar and wind capacity. The 10.5 billion kWh those plants generated in January through September already equals their total output for all of 2025 — meaning the sector effectively matched a full year’s production in three quarters. Hydropower also surpassed its 2025 annual total, reaching 6.6 billion kWh against last year’s 6.5 billion kWh. Small solar installations produced 2.5 billion kWh, up from 2 billion kWh for the whole of 2025.

The figures reflect an accelerating build-out of renewable capacity that the ministry has been pursuing alongside continued reliance on gas-fired thermal generation.

Consumption and distribution

Domestic electricity consumption reached 68.1 billion kWh over the nine months, an increase of 4.1 billion kWh, or 6.3%, from the same period in 2025. Of the 53 billion kWh supplied to consumers during the period, wholesale buyers received 39 billion kWh and households used 14 billion kWh. Industrial enterprises were the largest single category of wholesale consumption at 20.6 billion kWh, followed by other wholesale consumers at 12.8 billion kWh and agriculture at 5.6 billion kWh.

Trade balance shifts

Exports reached 3.4 billion kWh, an increase of 591.6 million kWh, or 21.4%, year on year. Imports fell by 720.4 million kWh, or 27.2%, to 1.9 billion kWh. The simultaneous rise in exports and fall in imports suggests the country’s expanded generation capacity is producing a surplus available for regional trade, rather than simply covering domestic demand growth.

Full-year targets

The ministry is targeting total generation of 94.6 billion kWh for 2026, which would represent an increase of 7.7 billion kWh, or 8.8%, over the previous year. Annual consumption is projected at 92.2 billion kWh, up 5.7 billion kWh, or 6.6%, from 2025. With 69.6 billion kWh generated through September, the country needs to produce roughly 25 billion kWh in the final quarter to meet the annual target. The ministry said its priorities for the remainder of the year include hitting generation and supply targets, maintaining uninterrupted power delivery to consumers and improving the efficient use of energy resources.