PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES IN SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY PROJECTS IN UZBEKISTAN: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER QUALITATIVE STUDY

Uzbekistan is moving faster than almost any other Central Asian country in building out its solar energy capacity — yet the day-to-day realities of managing these projects remain largely invisible in academic literature. This study draws on structured written interviews with five senior industry professionals, representing the developer, EPC contractor, HSE advisory, field engineering, and supply chain dimensions of project delivery. Six distinct challenge areas emerged from the analysis: meeting regulatory and ESMS requirements, navigating procurement and customs complications, bridging local workforce capability gaps, managing documentation under dual international and local standards, overcoming coordination breakdowns between project parties, and absorbing currency volatility. Together, these findings offer a grounded, practitioner-informed account of what solar PV project management actually looks like in an emerging Central Asian market — and what needs to change.