Uzbek power plant: The Uzbek government has signed a co-financing deal with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the construction of the Turakurgan thermal electric power plant near to Namangan in Uzbekistan’s section of the Fergana Valley. JICA has agreed to provide a preferential 40-year, $704m loan for the development of the plant. Once it is operational, the Turakurgan power plant will have an annual generating capacity of 6.8 bn kWh which it is forecast will be required to meet growing demand for electricity in the region’s textile, food, pharmaceutical and SME sectors, as well as for the production of building materials. Times of Central Asia