Mirziyoyev taps Sherzod Khodjaev as Uzbekistan’s new energy minister
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has appointed Sherzod Khodjaev as Uzbekistan’s new energy minister, replacing Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov, who oversaw the country’s flagship industry projects.
The appointment was announced Monday by presidential spokesperson Sherzod Asadov after President Mirziyoyev signed a decree. The Legislative Chamber approved Khodjaev’s nomination earlier in the day. The reason for the ministerial change was not made public.
Khodjaev most recently headed Uzbekistan’s Agency for Development and Regulation of Energy Market, a position he held since 2024.
He has worked in the energy sector since 1998 and served as deputy energy minister from 2019 to 2023. During a government shake-up caused by the country’s energy crisis in early 2023, Khodjayev left the Energy Ministry but returned later to lead its power sector reform project office.
What do we know about Mirzamakhmudov?
Mirzamakhmudov became energy minister in September 2022 after previously leading the state nuclear agency Uzatom and chemical producer Uzkimyosanoat.
His time in office overlapped with sweeping changes across Uzbekistan’s energy sector. The country expanded electricity generation, at times becoming a net exporter of power, while also starting imports of Russian natural gas, shifting to net gas importer status.
The government also introduced major electricity and gas tariff reforms and accelerated investment in large-scale solar and wind projects. It launched construction of Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant in partnership with Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
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