_BIOGRAPHY Zokhid Ishmukhamedov is Business Development Director at UET Group. Before this appointment he held positions at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex as Deputy Chairman of the Board, at the Trade Office of the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the People's Republic of China, and at Uzbekcoal as CFO. For many years he served in the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance in various positions. He was educated in economics in Uzbekistan and the United States.

“LARGE-SCALE ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS CAN BE DELIVERED IN UZBEKISTAN TO THE SAME STANDARD OF RIGOUR EXPECTED IN ANY ESTABLISHED MARKET.”

UET CONSTRUCTION HAS BUILT ONE OF CENTRAL ASIA'S MOST INTEGRATED ENERGY PORTFOLIOS SINCE 2023. WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND YOUR SYSTEMIC APPROACH, AND WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER EPC CONTRACTORS IN THE REGION?

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Our defining feature is that we operate as a full-cycle EPC contractor: engineering, procurement, and construction under one roof, with UET Consulting acting as the advisory arm that accompanies international clients before the first machine arrives on site. This combination allows us to work with systems rather than isolated assets.

As a reliable partner, we connect foreign investors with the state and actively support the localisation agenda, keeping both sides' interests at the center of every project. The Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy targets 85 percent domestic content in public procurement, and we are pioneers in building the manufacturing base capable of delivering that standard.

Generation, storage, transmission, substations, and industrial infrastructure are elements of a single energy backbone, which we develop in an integrated way, understanding how each component shapes the resilience and stability of the regional grid.

THE 650 MW COMBINED-CYCLE PLANT IN NAVOI, WHERE UET CONSTRUCTION DELIVERED THE CONSTRUCTION, INSTALLATION, AND STEEL STRUCTURES WORKS, IS ONE OF UZBEKISTAN'S LARGEST THERMAL PROJECTS. WHAT DID IT REVEAL ABOUT ENGINEERING MATURITY, AND HOW RELEVANT DOES THERMAL GENERATION REMAIN?

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Thermal generation remains absolutely critical. The 650 MW combined-cycle plant in Navoi, where UET Construction delivered the construction, installation, and steel structures works, is one of Uzbekistan's largest thermal projects. The Navoi CCGT project demonstrated clearly that even against the backdrop of the global energy transition, high-efficiency thermal generation remains the foundation of grid reliability.

We were responsible for an extensive scope of civil and installation works, including complex steel structures, and that scope tested our engineering capability across multiple disciplines at once. It was a serious examination of the company's maturity, and we passed it with confidence.

Uzbekistan's energy sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation, but the reality is that variable renewable generation requires a solid thermal backbone to guarantee uninterrupted supply. Combined-cycle gas turbines with efficiency well above 50 percent are the most credible bridge between today's energy security requirements and tomorrow's decarbonisation targets. This is precisely the balance where UET Construction feels particularly strong.

UET HAS DELIVERED BESS PROJECTS OF UP TO 300 MW AND 500 MWH OF CAPACITY ACROSS UZBEKISTAN. WHAT DOES THIS PORTFOLIO SAY ABOUT THE COUNTRY'S ABILITY TO ADOPT ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES?

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Energy storage is the infrastructure of the future, and that future has already arrived. Our portfolio includes storage systems from 100 to 300 MW in power and up to 500 MWh in capacity, deployed across multiple regions of Uzbekistan. We act as a full-cycle EPC contractor, handling civil works, steel structures, electrical installation, HVAC, and drainage systems at each site.

We work closely with international partners, including Energy China CEEC, which allows us to meet rigorous technological and investment standards while maximising local procurement and local subcontracting. This portfolio has shown that Uzbekistan's engineering sector is capable of more than many international investors assume. The country has the people, the institutional framework, and the industrial appetite to absorb advanced energy technologies at scale, provided a competent EPC partner orchestrates the delivery.

UZBEKISTAN AIMS FOR 40 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030. UET HAS DELIVERED SOLAR PROJECTS OF UP TO 500 MW, INCLUDING IN NUROBOD. HOW DOES YOUR MODEL SERVE LARGE UTILITY-SCALE INVESTORS?

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Solar generation is a natural step for a region with one of the highest levels of solar radiation in Central Asia. We have built solar plants ranging from 20 to 500 MW, including the 500 MW facility in Nurobod. What matters is that we do not confine ourselves to individual work packages. We offer a comprehensive delivery model from earthworks to commissioning, with full EPC accountability throughout.

This integrated approach lifts a significant burden of complexity from investors, who in emerging markets often face fragmented relationships with contractors across different disciplines. For a utility-scale developer entering the Uzbek market, having a single competent partner overseeing the entire delivery chain from site preparation to grid connection significantly reduces execution risk and accelerates timelines. The Nurobod project is the clearest evidence that this model works in practice.

UET CONSTRUCTION HAS BUILT UP TO 394 KM OF 220–500 KV TRANSMISSION LINES AND KEY SUBSTATIONS IN UZBEKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN. WHY IS TRANSMISSION A STRATEGIC PILLAR OF YOUR BUSINESS?

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Transmission is arguably the most underrated segment of Uzbekistan's energy sector from the standpoint of international observers. In recent years we have built 220–500 kV lines covering up to 394 kilometers, alongside key substations, including in Afghanistan. We deliver turnkey scopes: design, equipment supply, construction, and electrical installation.

In practical terms, we connect new generation capacity to end users, ensuring system integrity and electricity availability. Without this link, even the most modern generation assets cannot perform their function.

As Uzbekistan expands its renewable and thermal base, demand for high-voltage transmission and substation infrastructure will rise in parallel. Central Asia is becoming increasingly interconnected, and regional electricity trade is moving up the strategic agenda for governments across the region. UET Construction is positioned to support both the national grid build-out and the broader regional integration agenda.

THE CHIRCHIK STEEL STRUCTURES PLANT, WITH ANNUAL CAPACITY OF 15,000 TONNES AND ITS OWN RAILWAY LINE, IS ONE OF THE CORE ASSETS OF AN EPC CONTRACTOR. WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS?

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UET Construction owns and holds stakes in a number of major industrial assets, including the Maxsuselektrtarmoqqurulish transmission tower manufacturer, the UET STEEL galvanising joint venture, the Chirchik Steel Structures Plant, and the UET Invest that manages automotive glass plant and aluminum spare parts.

The Chirchik Steel Structures Plant is one of our key assets and a particular point of differentiation. Founded in 1963 and fully integrated into UET Construction, it gives us direct control over schedule, quality, and cost, the parameters that matter most in capital-intensive projects where delays translate directly into financial losses. For international investors, this means lower execution risk and higher predictability.

Our message is simple. Uzbekistan's EPC sector has matured significantly. The combination of state commitment, an expanding private sector, and partners with genuinely integrated capabilities means that large-scale energy and industrial projects can be delivered here to the same standard of rigour expected in any established market. The conditions are in place. The time is now.