Solar Energy Project Leaves Uzbek Women in the Dark – The Diplomat

AdvertisementFrench energy company Total Eren is about to finalize the construction of a 100 megawatt solar farm in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan. The project is funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, with total investments of over 65 million euros. However, locals who live just 100 meters from the project site continue to struggle with electricity shortages, water scarcity, and unemployment.“We only have enough electricity for one bulb to let children do their homework in the evening. We have no fridge, washing machine or TV due to electricity scarcity. Sometimes, the school doesn’t work in the wintertime as there is insufficient electricity to heat it,” said a woman living in the Tutly settlement, just next to the recently constructed solar farm.The women Bankwatch interviewed during a fact-finding mission in the…

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