The Government of Uzbekistan has announced the winner of the World Bank Group’s Scaling Solar program's competitive auction to develop a utility-scale solar plant located in the Navoi region in central Uzbekistan. Masdar Clean Energy of United Arab Emirates was awarded the project with a bid to supply solar power at just US$0.02679 per kilowatt-hour, one of the lowest tariffs seen in emerging markets. Other bidders are Acwa Power, TBEA Xinjiang Sunoasis Co Ltd, Jinko Power and Aljoimah Energy & Water Consortium, and the Total Eren. 

The project is being implemented with support from the Austrian Ministry of Finance and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as well as the Government of the Netherlands.

Scaling Solar is a World Bank Group solution that makes it easier for governments to quickly procure and develop large-scale solar projects with private financing. It includes a ‘one-stop-shop package of technical assistance, templated documents, pre-approved financing, insurance products, and guarantees. Scaling Solar has financing support from the Private Infrastructure Development Group, the UK's Department for International Development, U.S. International Agency for Development’s Power Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.