Entrepreneurs in a bind: Searching for the Business Ombudsman

In September, QALAMPIR.UZ and other media outlets, as well as bloggers, extensively covered the issue of forced solar panel installations for business owners. Many entrepreneurs received warning letters from the "Regional Electric Networks" demanding the installation of solar panels within 10 days, threatening to disconnect them from electricity and gas if they failed to comply. Despite claims from "Regional Electric Networks" JSC and the Ministry of Energy that these measures are not mandatory, reports indicate that businesses are already being cut off from the power supply.

On his Telegram channel, the Business Ombudsman, responsible for defending the rights of entrepreneurs, remains notably silent on the matter. This independent body, which reports directly to the President of Uzbekistan, has yet to intervene.

We monitored the Business Ombudsman’s Telegram channel to check if they were addressing this pressing issue. While they are posting general information about opportunities for entrepreneurs, there is no specific mention of the ongoing electricity disconnections or forced solar panel installations.

On the other side of the issue, many business owners, left in the dark both figuratively and literally, are unsure of what to do. Some even reported that their electricity was cut off without receiving any prior warnings.

For example, an anonymous businessman from Namangan shared his story. On September 9, officials from the local power company verbally informed him that he needed to install solar panels. Just nine days later, on September 18, his business was disconnected from the power supply. He had never received any official warning letter.

“Two entrepreneurs rent space in my building, both of them are taxpayers. We’ve never had any issues. Then, on September 9, officials from the district electricity company called, saying that installing solar panels was mandatory but also ‘recommended.’ I explained that I couldn’t afford to install one right now, but by September 18, they cut off the electricity,” explained the businessman.

Similar situations have occurred in the Koson district of Kashkadarya region. One businessman reported that dozens of businesses in the area were disconnected without any formal warning.

“Dozens of businesses lost power without any notice. Many of us sell food. This means we all have no choice but to install solar panels,” said a businessman from Koson.

In the Tashkent region, another businessman shared that local officials visited his business, stood by the transformer, and called him to ask whether he had installed a solar panel. Like the others, he had his power cut without receiving a letter of notice.

Sources have told QALAMPIR.UZ that pressure to install solar panels may be coming from the prosecutor’s office. Several entrepreneurs corroborated this claim, with reports suggesting that the Enforcement Bureau—a branch of the prosecutor’s office—has become involved in these cases.

One Namangan businessman stated that he received a call from the head of the district’s Enforcement Bureau, demanding that he install solar panels within three days.

“I just left the office of the head of the district’s Enforcement Bureau. They’re telling me to install solar panels within three days or I’ll remain without power. I had to ask the entrepreneurs renting space in my building to vacate. If I’m forced to comply, it’ll ruin the businesses of three entrepreneurs and many workers. Solar panels are expensive, and we can’t just install them overnight. Honestly, I’m disappointed. It feels like I’ll have to sell everything I own and leave. They’re not letting us work,” said the frustrated businessman.

Similarly, another entrepreneur in Tashkent reported that he was summoned to the district prosecutor’s office and given three days to install the panels.

“After my business was disconnected, I had to go to the prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor said there was a presidential decree and gave me three days to install the solar panels. We had to keep working, and our employees needed to be paid. I ended up installing the panels using money from our operations budget, which cost me $3,000. Even now, the panel doesn’t supply enough power on cloudy days, and it works well only in the afternoons. I had no choice,” said the entrepreneur.

In Kashkadarya, local authorities are reportedly adamant about cutting off electricity for businesses. Entrepreneurs have revealed that the initial pressure to disconnect power comes from the district’s electric networks, but the responsibility for enforcing the policy has been handed over to the heads of the region’s four key sectors.

You might wonder: why are the prosecutor’s office and the Enforcement Bureau involved in an issue related to energy? Let’s address that. The short answer is—it’s not their choice.

During a meeting held in January 2023, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the State Prosecutor’s Office and the General Prosecutor’s Office to take special measures to combat corruption within the energy sector. One month later, on February 13, President Mirziyoyev signed a decree titled “On Measures to Increase the Effectiveness of State Control in the Use of Fuel and Energy Resources”, tasking the Deputy Prosecutor General with ensuring compliance with legislation in the energy sector.

This is why prosecutors are now working with business owners to enforce the installation of solar panels.

While it's understandable for the prosecutor’s office to oversee anti-corruption efforts in the energy sector, their involvement in the solar panel issue is raising eyebrows. It seems that in the process of fighting corruption, the rights of entrepreneurs are being trampled.

You may have noticed that the names and details of the entrepreneurs affected by these forced measures are not provided in this article. Many of the business owners who spoke to our editorial team requested anonymity. Why? Quite simply, they are afraid of retaliation. They fear that if they don’t install the solar panels as demanded, they will be subject to inspections, fines, or other punitive measures that could halt their operations entirely. As the saying goes, “Better to keep a low profile,” so many entrepreneurs are reluctantly installing solar panels just to keep their businesses running smoothly.

Meanwhile, as entrepreneurs comply out of fear, officials from the Ministry of Energy continue to assure the public that no one will be disconnected from electricity or gas. The Business Ombudsman, responsible for protecting the rights of entrepreneurs, remains on the sidelines, quietly watching as these violations occur without intervention.