In 2023, Uzbekistan’s electricity consumption depended overwhelmingly on fossil fuels, which supplied about 87% of the total. Gas alone accounted for roughly 78%, while coal contributed about 7%; these are components of the fossil share, not additional categories. Low-carbon electricity supplied only about 9%, almost entirely from hydropower, which contributed just over 8%. Net imports covered the remaining roughly 4%. This leaves substantial room to expand clean electricity and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, along with their climate and air-pollution impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Uzbekistan?

Uzbekistan’s latest figures do not show whether electricity consumption grew year on year, but they clearly show that consumption per person remains well below its historical peak. In 2023, total electricity consumption reached about 2,220 kWh per person, roughly 670 kWh—or 23%—below the record of about 2,890 kWh in 1987. Low-carbon electricity generation was around 198 kWh per person, down 170 kWh—or about 46%—from its 1988 record of 368 kWh. These shortfalls are concerning: Uzbekistan needs stronger growth in electricity supply, particularly clean generation, to support electrification and future demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Uzbekistan can increase low-carbon electricity generation by developing solar, wind, and nuclear power together, supported by investment in transmission and storage. Relevant examples include Pakistan, where solar supplies about 24% of electricity and nuclear another 13%, and Armenia, where nuclear supplies almost a third. France demonstrates the potential for a much larger nuclear contribution, at about two-thirds of electricity generation. For solar, Uzbekistan can also learn from sunny regions such as the US state of Nevada, where solar generates roughly 35% of electricity. Wind deserves a complementary role: the US state of Kansas produces almost half its electricity from wind, while Turkey generates about 12%. These examples offer useful lessons for building a larger, diversified clean electricity supply rather than remaining dependent on gas.

History

The supplied history shows that Uzbekistan’s low-carbon electricity generation has experienced repeated hydropower gains and setbacks rather than sustained expansion. In the late 1980s, hydro generation rose by 2.2 TWh in 1987 but fell by 1.7 TWh in 1989. The 1990s brought gains of roughly 1 TWh in 1990 and 1993, a similar decline in 1995, and a 1.3 TWh recovery in 1999. The 2000s were especially uneven: a 3.5 TWh decline in 2000 was followed by gains in 2002–2003, another decline in 2004, a 2.8 TWh rebound in 2005, and a sharp 4.2 TWh drop in 2006, before a 2 TWh recovery in 2009. In the 2010s, gains in 2010, 2015, and 2017 were interrupted by declines of 2.5 TWh in both 2011 and 2018. A further 1.5 TWh decline in 2020 was matched by a 1.5 TWh increase in 2022. This uneven record reinforces the case for expanding solar, wind, and nuclear alongside hydropower to achieve sustained growth in clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade