Power demand surges past winter highs as heat grips Uzbekistan

According to the National Dispatch Center, during the heatwave from July 16 to 21, the country’s power system experienced new historic highs in daily electricity consumption and system load. For the first time, summer electricity usage surpassed the highest levels ever recorded during winter.

On July 18, daily consumption reached 272.6 million kWh, exceeding both the previous winter peak of 271.8 million kWh and the earlier summer record of 253.3 million kWh.

On July 21 at 17:00, system load peaked at 13.3 GW – surpassing the winter record of 12.5 GW and the 11.8 GW recorded in July 2024.

The highest increase in demand was observed in Tashkent. Specifically:

• Daily consumption reached 32.4 million kWh, compared to the previous peak of 30.5 million kWh in 2024 – a 33% increase year-on-year.
• The highest load occurred at 14:52, reaching 1,811 MW (up from 1,680 MW in 2024).
• Current electricity consumption is 7.6% higher than the same period in July 2024, with an 11% increase recorded since the start of this month.

To prevent and quickly resolve power outages during peak demand hours, Hududiy elektr tarmoqlari JSC and its regional branches have deployed round-the-clock emergency response teams. These crews are actively addressing any faults. The authorities apologized for localized power outages in some areas.

“We ask consumers to use electricity as efficiently as possible,” the ministry said in a statement. “Avoiding unnecessary use of electrical appliances will significantly help reduce strain on the system and prevent malfunctions and disruptions.”

Notably, starting August 1, Uzbekistan will introduce restrictions on electricity payments for consumers with unpaid waste collection bills. This measure is part of a law aimed at strengthening payment discipline for waste services.