QAZAQ GREEN.  Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC, better known as Masdar, announced today that it has produced first power from the 500-MW Zarafshan wind farm project in central Uzbekistan, its first operational asset in the country, Renewables Now reports.

The utility-scale site, described as the largest wind farm in Central Asia, is expected to become fully operational in 2024.

Equipped with 111 Goldwind turbines, the facility is situated in the Navoi region. It is expected to produce enough power to meet the electricity needs of 500,000 homes and offset 1.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually when fully operational.

The inaugural operational activity was marked by an event hosted by Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, other government officials and Masdar representatives.

Masdar sealed a deal to design, finance, build and operate the plant in June 2020. The project achieved a financial close in August 2022.

In the meantime, earlier this year, Masdar signed an agreement with the Uzbek government to develop more than 2 GW of solar and wind projects along with 500 MWh of battery energy storage at multiple sites across the country.