Turkmenistan's Ministry of Energy has launched an international tender to procure equipment and components for the construction of solar power plants in remote areas. The ministry has not revealed the locations of the planned projects or their combined capacity. Prospective providers have until April 26 to submit their offers.

According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Turkmenistan did not have any solar or wind capacity installed as of 2021. Its total renewable energy capacity was 2 MW in 2021 – all from hydroelectric power.

Turkmenistan could soon start exploiting its vast solar potential, as the nation gets more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year in some areas, with an average of 300 sunny days a year. It enjoys an average solar irradiation intensity of 600 W per square meter, and almost year-round sunshine in dry desert areas, which cover 86% of the country.

In November, Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy developer Masdar and Turkmenistan‘s power utility, Turkmenenergo, signed a joint development agreement for a 100 MW solar park in the country. But this is not the first large-scale renewable energy project under development in Turkmenistan. In July, Turkmenenergo signed an agreement with Turkish developer Çalik Enerji Sanaýi we Tijaret A.Ş. to build a 10 MW hybrid wind-solar park, with 3 MW of solar. The plant is located near Altyn Asyr, a recently completed artificial lake.