On 2 August, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation of a project to modernize the heat supply system in Tashkent.
Heat supply ensures comfortable living of the population and productive work of enterprises and organizations. In our country, consistent work is underway to improve this system. In particular, in cooperation with the World Bank, district heating networks are being reconstructed in Andijan, Bukhara, Samarkand and Chirchik. Starting this year, heat supply systems for multi-apartment housing in Nukus, Andijan, Bukhara, Jizzak, Karshi, Navoi, Namangan, Samarkand, Termez, Gulistan, Urgench, Ferghana, Chirchik and Angren are transferred to managing service companies.
Tashkent is the largest city in the country both in terms of population and the size of heat supply networks. Here, 9,165 multi-storey buildings and 3,475 social facilities are connected to centralized heating. However, 72 percent of the main and distribution networks, all central boiler houses and 90 percent of local boiler houses are worn out.
This leads to higher costs and lower quality of service. For example, last year losses of heat energy reached 44 percent, which in monetary terms amounted to 630 billion soums. Over-consumed 460 million cubic meters of natural gas, 55 million cubic meters of drinking water and 154 million kilowatts of electricity.
As a result, the state unitary enterprise “Toshissikkuvati” has a high accounts payable. The low quality of heat supply causes serious complaints from the population.
In this regard, on 2 December 2019, the President adopted a resolution “On measures to further improve the heat supply system of the city of Tashkent”, which defines the tasks of introducing market principles and mechanisms of public-private partnership into the system.
Earlier, the khokimiyat of Tashkent prepared the concept of the project and announced a tender for proposals for its implementation. According to the conclusion of the Asian Development Bank, the most effective project was recognized by the French company Veolia, which has experience in managing heat supply systems in the cities of Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Lithuania and Germany.
The signing of an agreement on public-private partnership between the capital’s hokimiyat and this company is expected soon.
The project will receive 315 million euros of Veolia’s own funds and 1 billion 80 million euros from revenues that will come during the project.
It is planned to modernize 181 boiler houses, install 28 thousand heat points, reconstruct 841 kilometers of existing networks and lay 576 kilometers of new networks. In addition, 391 units of special equipment and other equipment will be purchased. The introduction of an international system of technical audit and billing is planned.
At the presentation, the task was set, first of all, to develop a methodology for the provision of heat supply services on the basis of public-private partnerships.
The President noted the need to introduce the proposed project on a pilot basis on one of the massifs of Tashkent, assess its effectiveness and, based on the results, make a comprehensively thought-out decision.
Before the transfer to the management of a foreign company, it is planned to carry out an inventory of property and buildings belonging to the State Unitary Enterprise “Toshissikkuvati”, a technical and energy audit of the heat supply systems of apartment buildings.
It was instructed to create a Heat Supply System Development Fund. An amount exceeding 10 percent of the net profit received under the project will be transferred to this fund.
The need to purchase special equipment, equipment and materials at the most optimal prices was indicated by holding an open tender in accordance with the legislation on public procurement.
The importance of organizing, together with Veolia, training courses for domestic specialists was emphasized.
