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Saudi Firm ACWA Power To Build 1.5 GW Wind Farm In Uzbekistan
The huge Kungrad Wind Farm will have an investment value of $2.4 billion, while offsetting 2.4 million tons of carbon annually.
Like many countries worldwide, Uzbekistan is beginning to ramp up its clean energy efforts. As part of the nation’s plans to decarbonize, Saudi Arabian company ACWA Power has been tasked to build a 1.5-gigawatt power generation plant in Karakalpakstan, which will be named the Kungrad Wind Farm.
With purchase and investment agreements signed in August 2022, ACWA is now ready to start work on three separate 500-megawatt wind turbine projects on the Uzbek site, plus an additional 100-megawatt battery storage system. In total, the site is projected to have an investment value of $2.4 billion and will be the largest single-site wind farm in Central Asia.
The Kungrad Wind Farm will offset 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually and support a long-term Uzbek government strategy to diversify the country’s energy production, which also aims to add 8 gigawatts and 12 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity, respectively, by 2030.
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“The development of green energy and market reform go hand in hand in Uzbekistan, and the Kungrad project is a milestone both for our wind industry and the new public-private partnership model […] The wind farm in Karakalpakstan, built by our reliable partner ACWA Power, will be another pillar of a sustainable and reliable energy system in Uzbekistan,” says Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov, Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan.
The project will be fully operational by 2027 when it will begin supplying energy to 1.65 million homes.
“The signing of key agreements today for the landmark Kungrad wind farm project, which will set a new benchmark for sustainable energy development in the region, would not have been possible without the guidance of our visionary leadership and the trust and commitment of our partners from the Uzbek government,” says Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman, ACWA Power.
The 1.5-gigawatt Kungrad Wind Farm is ACWA Power’s fifth project in Uzbekistan. As part of the recently signed collaboration, the Saudi Arabian company will also construct several green hydrogen production plants in the Central Asian country, as Uzbekistan aims to lessen its reliance on natural gas.
News
Adobe Teases New AI Editing Tools And Updates In Premiere Pro
The video editing app will be enhanced with a generative extend tool, text-to-video, improved timeline waveforms, and more.
After launching the generative AI model Firefly last year, Adobe is now showcasing how the technology will be used in upcoming versions of the editing app Premiere Pro. In an early sneak peek, the company demonstrated several new features, including Object Addition and Removal, Generative Extend, and Text to Video.
The first new feature, Generative Extend, targets a common video editing problem by using AI to “Seamlessly add frames to make clips longer, so it’s easier to perfectly time edits and add smooth transitions”.
Meanwhile, Premiere Pro’s Object Addition & Removal tool will leverage Firefly’s generative AI to “Simply select and track objects, then replace them. Remove unwanted items, change an actor’s wardrobe or quickly add set dressings such as a painting or photorealistic flowers on a desk,” Adobe states.
Adobe also showcased another new feature that can automatically generate new film clips using a text prompt. To use the content creation tool, editors can “Simply type text into a prompt or upload reference images. These clips can be used to ideate and create storyboards, or to create B-roll for augmenting live action footage,” Adobe explained. The company seems to be commercializing this particular feature extremely quickly, considering generative AI video only appeared a few months ago.
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The new additions to Premiere Pro will be added later this year, but Adobe is also introducing smaller improvements to the editing app in May. The changes include interactive fade handles to enable easier transitions, an Essential Sound badge that uses AI to “automatically tag audio clips as dialogue, music, sound effects or ambience, and add a new icon so editors get one-click, instant access to the right controls for the job”, along with effect badges and a new look for waveforms in the timeline.
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