In Tashkent, there are still forcibly disconnected electric vehicle charging stations, despite the statement from the Ministry of Energy. Several market participants informed Spot about this yesterday.
On January 2, Deputy Minister of Energy Umid Mamadaminov acknowledged that in mid-December 2024, "the relevant authorities" conducted a raid and disconnected "a number of charging stations on the same day." After the ministry's intervention, the charging stations were reconnected to the power grid.
“Only 11 charging stations [for electric vehicles] that did not meet technical and other requirements were given time to resolve documentation issues. As of today, they are also connected to the grid, and there are no disconnected charging stations in Tashkent,” said the deputy minister of energy.
One of the companies informed Spot that not all charging stations were reconnected to the grid. Another electric charging operator also did not confirm the resumption of operations at previously disconnected stations.
Meanwhile, both market participants intend to reconnect the charging stations independently, even though they are sealed. In particular, the electric charging stations are sealed by "Energosavdo" — a subsidiary of "Regional Electric Networks" responsible for selling electricity.
Disconnections of Electric Charging Stations
In mid-December, Spot reported, citing several market participants, about the forced disconnection of electric vehicle charging stations in Uzbekistan. One company reported approximately 20 disconnected stations, mainly located in Tashkent. Another company noted that there were "quite a few" charging stations disconnected from the power grid.
Market participants shared that they were not notified about the disconnections and were not provided with legal documents. They learned about these issues post-factum during the monitoring of the stations' operations.
Entrepreneurs lamented that regardless of the operation of electric charging stations, they still have obligations for rent and other payments. Additionally, the disconnections of stations led to customer dissatisfaction, harming the companies' reputations.
Furthermore, on December 14, one of the companies received letters from the district cadastral departments of Tashkent demanding the dismantling of charging stations installed in the parking lots of cafes and restaurants, business centers, and adjacent areas within 15 days.
Press Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Hasan Toshkhodjaev stated to Spot that no restrictions on the operation of electric charging stations were imposed by the ministry. He emphasized that the Ministry of Energy supports the popularization of electric vehicles in Uzbekistan.
Deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis Nuriddin Sultonov submitted a parliamentary inquiry regarding the disconnected electric charging stations to the Ministry of Energy and the Cadastral Agency.
Earlier, Spot reported that Tesla's annual sales fell for the first time since 2011.