Syrdarya Region is a lowland region on the lands of Mirzachul, the Hungry Steppe. A third of the country’s electricity is generated here (the President’s press service, 2023), and the National Statistics Committee attributes the growth of industry in 2025 to the output of new power plants built on public–private partnership terms. At the same time it is an agricultural region — first in the country in the production and export of melons and gourds — with leather and pharmaceutical production and a growing output of building materials. Here protective coatings work in two worlds: at power facilities, fire protection, chemical protection and precision grouting of units; on the irrigated plain, protection of concrete and steel against saline groundwater.
Power plants: where protection is needed
A thermal power plant is a complex set of zones with different requirements, and one coating system for everything does not work here.
- Cable structures. Cable tunnels, cable floors and shafts with dense cable runs are the main path of fire spread at a power facility. Fire protection coatings and enclosures for cables are used, and fire-rated penetration seals at compartment boundaries.
- Turbine halls and boiler houses. A steel frame with the fire resistance rating required by the design, and next to it hot surfaces, oils and vibration. In the areas of turbine oil systems the fire scenario is more severe than the standard one, and this is taken into account when choosing the material.
- Flue gas ducts, chimneys, cooling towers. Flue gas condensate can be acidic, and circulating water mineralised; chemical-resistant and heat-resistant systems selected according to the temperature and composition of the medium are needed here.
- Tank farms. Tanks for reserve fuel, demineralised water and process water — internal lining coatings for the specific product and external corrosion protection.
Turbine sets and pumps: precision grouting
The baseframes of turbines, generators, and feed and circulation pumps require a grout that does not shrink, transfers the load over the entire area and withstands vibration for many years. For such machines precision epoxy grouts or high-strength cementitious grouts are used — in accordance with the unit manufacturer’s installation documentation. Key points: preparation of the concrete down to a sound substrate, formwork with a head box, control of the substrate and material temperature, a continuous pour. The work sequence is on the equipment grouting page. Gulistan, Yangiyer and Syrdarya District are on the list of zones with seismicity of intensity 8 on the MSK-64 scale (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 727, 2025), so the anchoring of units is designed for seismic loads.
Saline soils: concrete and buried steel
According to the national climate communication (2024), 45% of the region’s irrigated area is subject to an increased, and 55% to a high, impact of natural and climatic factors, mainly because of salinisation, low soil fertility and elevated mineralisation of irrigation water; in the new irrigation zone of the Hungry Steppe, secondary salinisation is under way. Researchers see the main causes in shallow mineralised groundwater and the poor performance of the collector and drainage network (Khasanov et al., 2022; Kulmatov et al., 2021). Which salts predominate in the water at a particular site can only be shown by chemical analysis. For the concrete of foundations, canals and wells this means a risk of salt and sulphate attack and of deterioration of the concrete cover to the reinforcement. Under ShNK 2.03.11-24 such conditions are taken into account when setting requirements for concrete and secondary protection — for more detail, see the overview of corrosion protection standards in Uzbekistan. If damage is already present, repair mortars and waterproofing selected on the basis of the water analysis will help. Buried pipelines are protected with systems for category Im3.
Wind, dust and frost on the open plain
Summers here are hot — the July record at the Syrdarya station is 45.0 °C (1944) — but winters can be severe: in January 1969 the same station recorded −32.3 °C (Uzhydromet), and, according to the national communication, the likelihood of very severe frosts in the region remains. In winter, water-based materials are stored in the warm, and concrete and grouts outdoors must be frost-resistant. On flat, open terrain the wind freely raises dust, and in some areas it can be strong and gusty. For painting this means loss of material from the spray, dust in the fresh coat and uneven thickness. In the wind, work is done under shelters, brush and roller are used for small areas, and the dry film thickness is checked more strictly. For exposed steel the indicative corrosivity category is, as a rule, C3–C4, and at power facilities with emissions and cooling towers it is confirmed for the specific site to ISO 9223 and ISO 12944-2.
Agro-processing: cotton, grain, vegetables
Cotton gins, grain stores and elevators, vegetable stores and processing workshops are the region’s second large group of facilities. Fibre, husks and grain dust create a high fire load and settle on structures, so the frames of warehouses and production buildings are protected with fire protection by calculation, and cable routes separately. The external surfaces of silos and hoppers receive weather-resistant corrosion protection; the internal ones, if product rests on them, a coating whose suitability for contact with food raw materials is confirmed by the manufacturer’s documents. Separators, fans and feed mill crushers get a grout designed for vibration.
We work with power engineers and farmers
We ship materials to Gulistan, Shirin, Yangiyer and to sites throughout the region; the delivery time is linked to the maintenance campaign or the erection schedule. At power facilities we prepare protection schemes by zone, provide supervision during application and survey coatings before repairs.
About the neighbours: Jizzakh Region — the pumping stations of Mirzachul and new plants; Tashkent Region — metallurgy and chemicals; all pages are in the list.
Questions from power engineers and builders
Which grout should be used under a turbine set?
The one required by the turbine manufacturer’s installation documentation, or one equivalent to it in proven properties: strength, flowability, absence of shrinkage and service temperature. A substitution is agreed with the equipment manufacturer or the designer.
How can concrete be protected from saline groundwater?
First with correctly selected concrete, then with secondary protection: waterproofing and coatings on the water side. Without a chemical analysis of the water the choice will be guesswork.
How should the steel of a cooling tower and cooling system be protected?
This is one of the harshest environments at a power plant: constant moisture, warm water, biofilm, water treatment chemicals. Systems for immersion and splash zones are needed, selected according to the water composition and temperature — with mandatory abrasive blast preparation and checking of coating continuity.
A power plant, pumping station or agricultural enterprise in Syrdarya Region? Describe the facility and the task, and we will prepare a solution and a calculation of materials. Call an engineer: +998 94 094 52 27 — or message on WhatsApp or Telegram. Send documents and drawings to info@ognezashita.uz.