Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Monday appointed Sherzod Khodjaev as the country’s new energy minister, following the dismissal of Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov over serious systemic shortcomings. Mirzamakhmudov had served as the energy minister since 2022.
The cabinet reshuffle was officially announced on Telegram by presidential press secretary Sherzod Asadov. He confirmed that Khodjaev’s candidacy was previously approved by lawmakers in the Legislative Chamber, the lower house of parliament. In connection with his new role, Khodjaev was formally relieved of his previous duties as the director of the Energy Market Development and Regulatory Agency.
The leadership change follows a high-level meeting convened to review priority tasks and operational challenges within the fuel and energy sector. During the meeting, President Mirziyoyev acknowledged that while large-scale reforms implemented over the past decade had successfully attracted $23 billion in foreign investment, major operational deficiencies persist. He highlighted critical failures in the effective utilization of created infrastructure, overall system management, and localized discipline and oversight.
The immediate driver for the dismissals was a major disruption in energy reliability during the peak summer months. Official statements revealed that approximately 4,000 power grid failures occurred across the country in June and July alone, leaving residents and businesses in multiple regions without electricity for up to 8 to 10 hours at a time.
As a direct result of these widespread power outages, President Mirziyoyev removed both Energy Minister Mirzamakhmudov and Asrorjon Askarov, the head of Regional Electric Networks JSC, citing serious shortcomings in their management of the grid. Furthermore, the heads of National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan, Thermal Power Plants, Uztransgaz, and Khududgaztaminot Joint-Stock Companies have all been placed on strict probation through the end of the year.
