Masdar has signed a battery storage service agreement with JSC Uzenergosotish, Uzbekistan’s state-owned joint-stock company, to develop the country’s largest standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) project.
The agreement follows Masdar’s December 2023 deal with the country's Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade to develop up to 575MW of BESS capacity across Uzbekistan.
The agreement was signed at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference by Masdar chief executive officer Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and JSC Uzenergosotish board chair Jahongir Obidjonov.
The signing was witnessed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Energy Suhail Al Mazrouei and Uzbekistan Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamahmudov.
Al Mazrouei said: “The UAE is proud to see its global clean energy leader, Masdar, supporting our partners around the world in accelerating their energy transformations.
"The Zarafshan Battery Energy Storage System will play a vital role in strengthening Uzbekistan’s grid resilience and expanding renewable energy integration, an ambition that aligns with the UAE’s own vision for a sustainable and diversified energy future.
“This collaboration is a testament to the strong ties between our nations and our shared commitment to advancing practical, scalable solutions for global energy security and decarbonisation.”
The first phase of the Zarafshan BESS will provide 300MW of storage capacity, which will be enough to power approximately 1.3 million households for two hours.
Phase one will connect to the Murunau substation, with a second phase planned to add another facility of 300MW capacity.
Once operational in the third quarter (Q3) of 2028, the Zarafshan BESS will support Uzbekistan in achieving its goal of generating 54% of power from renewables by 2030 and contribute to the country’s net-zero ambitions.
Al Ramahi said: “The Zarafshan Battery Energy Storage System is a significant milestone for Uzbekistan’s energy transformation, and another demonstration of Masdar's leadership in global battery storage projects.
“This project builds on more than two decades of experience developing and operating large-scale renewable and storage assets, and we look forward to driving its successful delivery and contributing to Uzbekistan’s sustainable economic growth.”
Masdar says it is driving major advances in large-scale energy storage innovation globally.
In October, the company initiated work on the world’s first gigascale 24/7 solar and battery storage project in Abu Dhabi, which comprises a 5.2GW solar plant integrated with a 19GWh BESS to deliver 1GW baseload renewable power.
