The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan has signed a landmark cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Vision International Investment Company (VIIC) and France’s Suez International to launch a $78 million project focused on hazardous industrial waste management.

The agreement, signed by Deputy Minister Jusipbek Kazbekov, VIIC’s Director of Development Kapil Lalvani, and Suez International’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Paul Bourdillon, marks a significant step in Uzbekistan’s drive to modernize its environmental infrastructure through foreign direct investment.

Three-Phase Investment Framework
The project will be implemented in three phases:

• Phase 1: Construction of waste stabilization facilities, specialized landfills, and regional transfer stations.
• Phase 2: Engineering design and pilot testing of equipment for producing Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), as well as incineration and thermal treatment units.
• Phase 3: Full-scale deployment of RDF production and thermal waste processing plants.

Investor Profiles 

• Vision International Investment Company (VIIC) is a major Saudi investment holding managing assets worth approximately $96 billion. Its core operations span energy, infrastructure, utilities, water resource management, and public-private partnerships.
• Suez International, with over 160 years of experience, is a global leader in water and waste management, operating across Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East

Source: gov.uz