Today, the main priority of the government of Uzbekistan is the widespread introduction of energy-saving technologies and the use of alternative energy sources in the economy, social sphere, and construction industry. To speed up the process, a six-year joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uzbekistan with the Ministry of Construction of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the grant support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) “Market Transformation for Sustainable Rural Housing in Uzbekistan” is being implemented since 2017.

The main objective of the project is to provide the rural population of Uzbekistan with improved and affordable environment-friendly living conditions. The budget of $136.6 million has been allocated for this purpose.

Since the project launch, a great deal of work has been carried out. Based on Presidential Decree PD-4028 of 24 November 2018, a subsidized green mortgage scheme was developed to increase demand for energy-efficient (EE) and low-carbon (LC) rural housing. Single and multi-storey EE and LC affordable rural houses were built in five regions of Uzbekistan. Also, the construction of a pilot nearly-zero energy house (NZEB) has started in Yoshlik mahalla of Nurafshan city in the Tashkent region. In November 2019, a Business Forum on “Energy-Efficient Solutions in Uzbekistan: Current Status and Development Prospects” was held in Tashkent. The event allowed demonstrating the available financial mechanisms of the market economy, exchanging views and experiences, and discussing the prospects of “green construction” and “green economy”.

Under Component 2 of the Project, on December 9, 2021, another one-day Business Forum on “Energy-efficient materials and technologies in Uzbekistan: state of the market and prospects of its development for promotion of green construction in the country” was organized. The main national partners - Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Finance,  Hydrometeorological Service Centre under the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Uzhydromet), State Committee on Land Resources, Geodesy, Cartography and State Cadastre, State Committee on Ecology and Environmental Protection, LLC “Qishloq Qurilish Invest”, LLC “Qishloqqurilishloyiha”, JSCB «Qishloq Qurilish Bank», as well as regional and district authorities, representatives of design and engineering companies, educational institutions, international organizations, domestic producers and others have participated in the event. Representatives of IFIs – Asian Development Bank,  Islamic Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and KfW also took part in the event.

In her welcoming speech, Doina Munteanu, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Uzbekistan noted that the issue of ensuring energy efficiency in buildings is becoming more and more urgent against the background of climate change taking place before our eyes, since almost 30% of the total share of greenhouse gas emissions in the environment comes from the construction sector. “As the scale of housing construction in Uzbekistan grows every year, there is a huge potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by ensuring the energy efficiency of buildings under construction through the use of energy-efficient and low-carbon materials and technologies,” said Ms Munteanu.

In Uzbekistan, buildings account for 49% of total energy consumption, or 17 million toe. (tonne of oil equivalent) per year. Accelerated industrialization and stable population growth significantly increase the economy's need for energy resources, as well as increase the negative anthropogenic impact on the environment.

Currently, the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan is developing projects for the installation of equipment for renewable energy sources in about 1,000 apartments in the regions in multi-storey buildings under construction and on 410 private land plots together with international funds and organizations in the period 2021-2023. According to Aziz Alimuhamedov, the Adviser to the Minister of Energy, with the introduction of the installation of mini-solar PVPs with a capacity of 2 kW in all regions of the republic, 1,000 units per year, the possibility of additional generation of electrical energy - 4.0 million kWh per year will also be realized, which corresponds to natural gas savings of about 2.0 million cubic meters per year.

In addition to presenting the results of the Project and its further plans, the Business Forum provided an opportunity to evaluate new approaches and solutions, to update the database of energy-efficient materials and technologies, to learn about innovations in the field of construction materials, to exchange knowledge and experience among representatives of various manufacturing companies and suppliers of energy-efficient materials and technologies.

“The natural energy resources used by humanity are gradually running out, while the cost of extraction and processing of primary fuel and energy resources is increasing, and their irrational use harms the environment. Efficient use of resources through innovative approaches in construction, as a solution to this problem, is currently one of the priority areas in Uzbekistan.

This project aims to reduce energy consumption in the housing sector by improving the thermal performance of the buildings, as well as by introducing energy-efficient and low-carbon technical solutions. Such measures will ensure savings of natural and financial resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.

We hope that this forum will help to develop necessary recommendations for further actions to strengthen cooperation with stakeholders in promoting EE and LC solutions in the building sector in Uzbekistan,” said Timur Ibragimov, Project Manager.

Presentations and round-table discussions covered market development and improvement of the EE and LC supply chain of technologies and materials, energy-efficient design, strengthening the regulatory framework for the introduction of energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies and materials in housing construction in Uzbekistan.

A specialized exhibition of energy-efficient materials and technologies of local and foreign producers was an important part of the Business Forum. The Forum provided a platform for domestic producers, suppliers, construction companies and design organizations to discuss necessary measures to expand affordable market solutions, accelerate the introduction of new EE and LC technologies, exchange ideas and strengthen cooperation.