Uzbekistan Diagnostic Assessing Progress and Challenges in

Electricity and heat generation is currently dominated by 
natural gas
(75 per cent and 94 percent respectively).While 
the 2013 Presidential Decree on Alternative Energy aims to 
develop alternative sources of energy, the government is also supporting the increase of coal 
use in electricity generation to free up natural gas for export. Increasing the share of 
renewable energy sources would support the country to diversify away from hydrocarbons 
and help decarbonise the economy. Hydro power makes up 20.6 per cent of electricity 
production
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but there is significant untapped potential in solar and wind energy.

The Aral Sea has been gradually shrinking
, losing 90 per cent of its volume since the 
1960s, as a result of the diversion of the rivers feeding into the sea by Soviet irrigation 
projects. This has significantly increased salinity levels, and exposed huge swaths of land 
covered with salt and toxic chemicals which are spread around by the wind as toxic dust
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.

Central Asia was a major source of uranium in the former Soviet Union. Most of the mines 
were closed in 1995, but very 
little remediation has been done
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. A recent agreement on 
the Strategic Master Plan developed by expert group under the International Atomic Energy 
Agency’s guidance will provide a blueprint for environmental remediation of priority sites.

Uzbekistan is water stressed and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, 
particularly in the agricultural sector
. Uzbekistan
 
scores among the lowest 5 countries in 
the world (2
nd
percentile) in water productivity
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.
 
The Law on Water and Water Use from 
1993 has been amended several times and includes provisions like water charges and basin 
administration but needs updating.