Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth

Infrastructure as a Foundation for Job Creation
0.77 kWh per unit of GDP, well above all neighboring countries except the 
Ukraine, and despite its continuous decline since the mid-1990s (Figure 2.14). 
Agriculture has been the most electricity intensive sector (except in 1994). 
Industry followed, but with notable improvements in electricity intensity 
in recent years, which may be due to the government’s effort to modernize
the sector.
GVA = gross value added, kWh = kilowatt-hour.
Sources: Calculated using final electricity consumption data from Enerdata. https://www.enerdata.net/ 
(accessed 10 May 2017) and GDP data from World Bank. World Development Indicators. http://databank.
worldbank.org/wdi (accessed 10 May 2017). 
GDP = gross domestic product, kWh = kilowatt-hour.
Sources: Calculated using final electricity consumption data from Enerdata. https://www.enerdata.net/ 
(accessed 10 May 2017) and GDP data from World Bank. World Development Indicators. http://databank.
worldbank.org/wdi (accessed 10 May 2017). 
Figure 2.14a: Electricity Intensity, Uzbekistan, 1990–2016 
(kWh per unit of GVA in constant 2010 $)
Figure 2.14b: Electricity Intensity, Selected Countries, 2016
(kWh per unit of GDP in constant 2010,$)
Agriculture
Industry
Services
Total
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
0
1
2
3
4
5
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Belarus
Armenia
Russian
Federation
Kazakhstan Azerbaijan

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Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth
Demand-side inefficiencies in the use of electricity emanate from the use 
of outdated equipment and technology across sectors, most especially in 
agriculture. Inefficiencies in the agriculture sector stem from the heavy reliance 
on old pumping infrastructure used for irrigation, with more than 65% of it 
past its useful life (World Bank 2013). In industry, activities such as metallurgy 
and the manufacture of bricks, cement, and chemicals still operate the most 
electricity-intensive technologies. Households are electricity-intensive: ADB 
(2004) found that Uzbek households consumed up to three times more than 
the average of households in Eastern Europe. With electricity mainly used for 
space heating, household electricity consumption doubles during the winter.
Supply-side inefficiencies in the power sector stem from the aging thermal 
power plants and transmission and distribution systems. Uzbekistan has the 
oldest generation assets among the neighboring countries of Kazakhstan, the 
Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan. About 40% of the installed capacity is past or 
close to the end of its operating life, with most assets 40–50 years old and in 
poor condition. In 2013, the average efficiency of thermal power plants was 
only 33%, well below the efficiency of modern combined cycle gas turbines, at 
53%–56% (Table 2.13).