During its history, our country’s energy system has passed a long, almost a century-long path, with each stage being marked by a qualitative breakthrough in the development of new technologies and a steady increase in the sphere’s potential. Today, along with measures to stabilize the existing equipment, new technologies for generating electricity and heat are actively being introduced based on combined-cycle gas technologies that are recognized worldwide as the most efficient and cost-effective.
Ruslan Gazizovich Mubarakshin, Chairman of the Board of JSC “Thermal Power Stations” in an interview to our magazine speaks about the most critical stages of development, modernization, and industry activity during the difficult period of the pandemic.
– Ruslan Gazizovich, the JSC “Thermal Power Stations” was established in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 4249 dated March 27, 2019 PD “On the Strategy for Further Development and Reform of the Electric Power Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan”. Can you tell us what has changed in your organization’s activities? How are production processes optimized at the new stage of development?
– In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan PD No 4249 dated March 27, 2019, “On the Strategy for Further Development of the Reform of the Republic of Uzbekistan’s Electric Power Industry,” the JSC “Thermal Power Stations” was established to manage the thermal power plants and power centers that produce electric and thermal energy.
After unbundling of the JSC “Uzbekenergo” into three independent companies, we all actively engaged in our work because each company is responsible for a specific energy production section.
The main task of the JSC “Thermal Power Stations” is to ensure the production of electric and thermal energy, the implementation of the energy policy carried out in Uzbekistan, aimed at ensuring energy security and meeting the growing needs of the economy and the population of the country for electricity.
To date, one of the critical activities of the JSC “Thermal Power Stations” is the implementation of programs for modernization and the creation of new generating capacities to the technical level achieved by industrialized countries by attracting funds from investors.
The JSC “Thermal Power Stations” started its activity in April 2019. The Agency for State Assets Management of the Republic of Uzbekistan approved the Charter of the JSC “TPS” (Order No. 1K-PO dated 15.04.2019).
The JSC “Thermal Power Stations” coordinates the electric and thermal power producers’ activities, organizes maintenance and repair services, ensures the reliable operation of power equipment, and stable operation of thermal power plants.
At this stage of the Company is implementing the following main tasks:
● introduction of modern innovative methods of planning and organizing the production, increasing the industrial potential of the energy sector, as well as assistance in improving export services;
● creating a system of management of thermal power plants that meets the global trends of innovative development, which can ensure the full implementation of the planned reforms in the power industry, timely identify and effectively solve problems of socio-political and socio-economic development;
● organization of an optimal, economically justified structure of generating capacities in order to ensure reliable, guaranteed power supply and achieve a balance of production and consumption of electric energy by consumers of the Republic, taking into account new electricity producers.
● strengthening shareholders’ role in the company’s strategic management, ensuring openness of activities and attractiveness for potential investors.
We observe how the approach to business is changing, how production optimization tasks are being solved to reduce the cost of the final product and ensure reliability. Let’s not forget that the largest thermal power plants are strategic objects. Now the industry has an opportunity to cooperate with world leaders in the field of generation. Our task is to optimize the costs that we currently incur, but at the same time not to disrupt the energy balance.
As we know, on May 10, 2019, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed the Law “On Public-Private Partnership” (PPP), which was developed and discussed over the past two years. In accordance with the Action Strategy in Five Priority Areas of Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017-2021, the Republic of Uzbekistan is implementing new mechanisms of public-private partnership aimed at improving the effectiveness of mutually beneficial cooperation in the implementation of the tasks of socio-political and socio-economic development of the country. With the development of public-private partnership, private companies will soon appear on the market in the field of thermal power plants, and we must be competitive.
– The forecast of the Ministry of Energy shows that in the period up to 2030, the annual growth in electricity consumption will be about 6-7 percent. Do you think that the production growth will surpass the consumption?
– For any country the energy is the foundation of the entire economy, no matter how the country develops. Over the past two years, due to economic reforms, we have seen an increase in electricity demand, on average, from 2–2.5 to 3 billion kWh per year.
This is good news. It means that the Uzbekistan’s industrial potential is growing, conditions have been created for introduction of new production capacities and the development of business activities, but most importantly, the welfare and quality of life of our citizens is growing.
We can say that now we are at a new stage in the development of the energy industry – the introduction and use of modern high-efficiency energy-saving technologies. Over the past years, we have studied the experience of large companies in the energy industry in several leading countries in the world – Japan, United States of America, and Europe. And we have actively started implementing the latest energy-efficient technologies in our country, and I must say that we have already achieved an enormous effect; in terms of fuel consumption per 1 kWh we achieved a significant reduction.
– Thermal Power Stations have the largest share of the country’s generating capacity. What is the total capacity of the industry? Are there enough energy resources to work effectively now, and what are the prospects, given the growing energy consumption?
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