President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited and assessed the operation of the new production complex of 'Tillo Domor' company in Urgench district on August 17. This enterprise, with a total cost of 11 million dollars, is engaged in processing local raw materials and produces over seventy varieties of dairy products.
The assortment includes both traditional products such as qatyk and kefir, as well as cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream. The production facility was equipped with technological equipment imported from Bulgaria. The plant has a capacity sufficient for an annual output of finished products worth 100 billion soums.
The enterprise ensures a daily supply of raw materials through a network of over one hundred farms and private homesteads in the region. Furthermore, the production site integrates alternative energy principles, as solar panels with a capacity of 100 kW are installed on its territory.
Currently, 120 employees are working at the plant, but plans include increasing the staff by another 100 people, which will correspond to the expansion of the product range. The head of state emphasized the importance of deep processing of agricultural raw materials and gave corresponding instructions to relevant officials to support similar initiatives.
In total, approximately 1.2 thousand processing enterprises are registered in the Khorezm region at present. Previously, it was announced that the authorities of Uzbekistan plan to allocate 463 million dollars for the development of animal husbandry. These funds are intended for the restoration of idle enterprises, increasing meat and milk production volumes, as well as purchasing breeding livestock and implementing digital technologies in this field.
Sars has published the long-awaited consultation document on VAT modernization, which presents a pentagonal model for electronic invoicing. This model is designed to pre-fill VAT declarations and ultimately automate VAT assessment.
One aspect that may surprise many companies is the timeline: according to the roadmap presented, no action is required from anyone until the 2030s.
The document outlines five stages of project implementation:
Thus, the full launch is planned for around 2033. Large enterprises will begin participating voluntarily before any mandatory requirements are introduced. Government bodies may join them, followed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs), and finally, business-to-consumer transactions.
The architecture represents a pentagonal model of Decentralized Continuous Control and Transaction Exchange. The supplier generates a structured, machine-readable invoice from its accounting or ERP system and sends it to an accredited access point, which performs verification and approval. This access point forwards the invoice to the buyer's access point, where it undergoes secondary validation before being passed to the buyer. Both access points report the approved invoice to a fifth party—the service provider acting on behalf of Sars.
The electronic invoice within this definition is not a PDF or a scanned document. It must contain standardized data elements in a prescribed format, considering standards such as EN16931 CIUS, UN/CEFACT Cross-Industry Invoice, and Peppol PINT BIS. The network authority will accredit service providers and ensure compliance with the rules.
The ultimate goal is automation. Sars intends to use transactional data to pre-fill VAT declarations and eventually for automated tax liability assessment, while taxpayers can confirm or modify the received result, maintaining the principle of self-assessment. This approach is similar to what is already applied to personal income tax, where AI-based compliance systems reconcile bank statements, VAT returns, and CIPC records under the Modernization 3.0 program announced in April.
Until 2026, electronic invoicing service providers and tax consulting firms repeatedly indicated full operational readiness for 2028, anticipating implementation in 2026 or 2027. Most considered these dates tentative and dependent on yet-to-be-written regulations. Sars' own document now sets quality control testing for 2028/2029, with mandatory adoption later. In other words, the roadmap should be read before signing a software contract offered with a '2028 urgency'.
However, this is no reason to ignore the document. Large payers will require ERP and accounting systems capable of generating and receiving structured invoices, contracts with accredited access points, and financial processes rebuilt around continuous verification rather than monthly reconciliation. These are multi-year projects.
Three questions remain open:
There is one important condition applicable to all the above. The document contains a disclaimer stating that its content reflects Sars' current understanding of the proposed structure and may be adjusted after receiving feedback from stakeholders and further analysis. The specified dates are a plan, not a commitment, and consultation may change them in any direction.
Sars cites international precedents to demonstrate the benefits, referencing Mexico and Chile, which reduced their VAT deficit, Mexico's processing of about 10 billion electronic invoices annually, and Italy's centralized platform. France, like South Africa, chose a decentralized pentagonal model instead of a single centralized platform.
Dimension Energy has secured additional funding of $857 million to accelerate its expansion in the field of distributed solar energy. This financing consists of an increase in the corporate credit facility by $200 million and project financing of $657 million. With these new commitments, Dimension's total corporate credit facility reached $650 million.
The expansion of the corporate credit facility was led by Nuveen Energy Infrastructure Credit and funds managed by HPS Investment Partners. The additional liquidity will allow Dimension to move projects from the development stage to the construction stage, as well as provide greater flexibility as the company's portfolio grows.
Since its inception, the company has developed over 1 gigawatt of distributed energy assets and invested more than $2 billion in operational or under-construction projects. Partners Group owns Dimension Energy.
The $657 million financing, intended for the transition from construction to operation, will support 29 distributed solar energy projects. These projects have a combined capacity of 149 megawatts and are located in the states of Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Advantage Capital acted as the tax equity investor for this portfolio. MUFG Bank, First Citizens Bank, ING Capital, and National Bank of Canada served as Coordinating Lead Arrangers, with Fifth Third Bank as the Joint Lead Arranger.
The secured funding provides Dimension with additional resources to execute projects in various US markets. Distributed solar energy also helps bring power generation closer to consumers, which assists in addressing growing energy demand and infrastructure challenges.
Dimension currently owns over 600 MW of operating or under-construction distributed energy assets. The company expects the new funding to support its expansion to 1 GW of operating assets by 2028.
This latest financing deal followed a $650 million portfolio financing completed earlier this year. The sequence of these transactions underscores investors' sustained interest in the company's distributed energy platform and provides capital for the growing project portfolio.
Rafael Dobrzinski, co-founder and CEO of Dimension Energy, stated that the new commitments demonstrate the strength of the company's platform. He noted that this financing will contribute to disciplined growth amid increasing demand for distributed energy.
Nuveen Energy Infrastructure Credit also highlighted the rise in electricity consumption. The firm emphasized that distributed solar energy can provide reliable power supply closer to where it is needed and anticipates that the technology will benefit from rising transmission and distribution costs.
Advantage Capital stated that Dimension has demonstrated the ability to move projects from the development stage through construction. The tax equity investments will support further project execution and help expand access to reliable and affordable electricity.
The new capital gives Dimension a greater opportunity to scale its solar portfolio. Its projects span several states where demand for distributed energy resources is growing. The company focuses on developing, owning, and operating infrastructure, not just generating projects.
Dimension's strategy also reflects the increasing role of distributed generation in the US energy market. Solar projects located closer to customers can complement the overall energy infrastructure and support communities facing increased electricity needs. The company's goal for 2028 represents a significant expansion compared to its current asset base.
Terra Industries has successfully secured additional funding of $18 million in a seed round. This new capital brings the total seed funding for the Nigerian defense technology startup to $52 million.
The round was invested in by both returning investors such as 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital, and SV Angel, and new participants including Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon. The funds will be allocated to increasing production capacity, accelerating system deployment, and hiring personnel in engineering, operations, and business development.
Terra Industries was founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka. The company transitioned from stealth development in January 2026 after raising an $11.75 million round led by 8VC. The new capital will provide the company with additional resources to strengthen its manufacturing base in Africa.
Terra's expansion reflects the growing interest in locally developed defense technologies in emerging markets. By combining manufacturing with proprietary software, the company aims to create systems that meet the operational needs of regional clients.
A significant portion of Terra's expansion plans will be focused in Ghana. The company is preparing to open a 34,000 square foot Pax-2 production facility in Accra. This new facility is more than twice the size of the existing plant in Abuja.
The Ghanaian facility is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 50,000 systems by 2028. This expansion is intended to meet the growing demand for autonomous and anti-drone systems.
Despite international expansion, production will remain concentrated in Africa. The company is targeting markets in the Persian Gulf, South America, and South Asia, and also plans further international operations to support partnerships and government engagement.
The operation in Ghana will also create opportunities for local specialists in engineering and manufacturing. Terra expects this facility to strengthen its ability to serve African clients while supporting future international deployments.
The company develops autonomous systems for protecting critical infrastructure in challenging environments. Its product portfolio includes drones, interceptors, surveillance towers, and ground unmanned vehicles. The Archer drone is designed for long-range operations, demonstrating a range of up to 1,000 kilometers and a flight time of up to 13 hours. The Kama interceptor is capable of reaching speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.
Terra also creates Kallon—a solar surveillance tower equipped with sensors and edge processing. Iroko is a smaller quadcopter designed for reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. All these systems operate through ArtemisOS, Terra's proprietary software platform. ArtemisOS coordinates threat detection, mission planning, and autonomous responses, linking systems operating on land, air, and sea, providing a unified approach to infrastructure protection.
Terra is opening its first international office in London. The new location will provide access to defense institutions, technical talent, and international partnerships. Furthermore, the company plans operations in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
This growth occurs against the backdrop of increased defense spending in African markets. Governments are facing growing security threats related to terrorism, organized crime, and infrastructure risks. Terra believes that locally developed systems can more effectively address these issues. Its systems currently protect critical assets in several African countries, with the company's strategy focusing on maintaining production and data control in serviced regions, giving it a potential advantage in markets striving for greater technological sovereignty.
