Officials held accountable after power outages in Tashkent

On July 24–25, multiple districts of Tashkent experienced power outages and voltage drops. The situation was investigated by the General Prosecutor’s Office of Uzbekistan with the involvement of technical specialists.

As a result of the investigation, disciplinary measures were taken against 28 officials, including the head of "Tashkent City Electric Networks" LLC, 11 district power supply managers, 13 chief engineers, and 3 dispatch service employees.

It was found that the company's call center, operating through the number 1154, had only five operators handling requests. This led to long wait times, with queues of up to 60–70 callers. Following the investigation, 10 additional operators were assigned to improve response times.

The investigation also revealed serious shortcomings in informing consumers about power restrictions and accidents. On July 23 alone, 64 accidents went unreported, and 112 were reported with delays. In response, emergency announcements were published on official district khokimiyat websites and widely viewed internet platforms. Additionally, prosecutor’s office representatives were assigned to regional dispatch centers to enhance emergency responsiveness, while press and dispatch service staff were instructed to promptly notify the public about outages and service interruptions.

Systemic issues within "Tashkent City Electric Networks" were also uncovered. The company currently has 78 emergency teams made up of 410 employees and 34 specialized vehicles, which is insufficient to address ongoing incidents. An additional 35 staff positions are needed.

Over the past three years, the company has seen a 30 percent employee turnover rate due to low wages and heavy workloads. Among those who left, 228—or 45 percent—were specialists in operational services.

Out of the 9,749 kilometers of power lines in the city, 2,540 kilometers—about 26 percent—require repairs. Nine of the city’s 90 substations need modernization, and two require increased capacity.

Of the 11 special laboratory vehicles available, six are outdated and only two are in operation during nighttime hours. This severely limits the company's ability to detect and resolve multiple incidents simultaneously.

To improve efficiency and responsiveness, authorities determined that 13 additional laboratory engineers, 13 drivers, and 10 modern laboratory vehicles—each costing around 1 billion soums—are required.

Currently, there are more than 823,000 electricity consumers in Tashkent. This marks an increase of 47,600 compared to 2024 and 21,000 since the beginning of this year. Electricity consumption reached 7.6 billion kWh in 2022, 8.3 billion in 2023, and is projected at 8.7 billion in 2024—growing by an average of 621.3 million kWh annually, or 9 percent.