Kyrgyzstan Reaches Hydroelectric Plant Deal with Neighbors

Securing energy supplies for its population, Kyrgyzstan plans to build its Kambar-Ata 1 hydropower plant along the Naryn River with the help of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In January 2023, the energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a deal forming a joint venture to build and manage the Kambar-Ata-1 hydroelectric plant in Kyrgyzstan. The project has been stalled for decades due to lack of investment. It would be the largest power plant on the Naryn River, with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts. It may take 10 years to build. The Kyrgyz government insists the plant will boost energy security for its country, but also benefit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which can import electricity from the plant. Furthermore, the plant could improve water management in the region. Because the plant will be built upstream in Kyrgyzstan, downstream countries, such as Uzbekistan, could benefit from the coordinated release of water from the Kambar-Ata Dam for irrigation. According to Kyrgyzstan, building the hydroelectric complex will cost near $2 billion, requiring construction to occur in six stages. “The road map spells out how we will work … If the feasibility study is completed in 2024, we will start the plant’s construction … A joint venture owned by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will be registered in Kyrgyzstan; everything will be under our control,” Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Minister of Energy Mirlan Zhakypov said. Kambar-Ata-1 is just one of several Kyrgyzstan hydroelectric plant initiatives projected for the Naryn River. Sources: Azattyk, KTRK