As reported by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy, on October 7-11 Kyrgyzstan received a delegation from the Donor Coordination Committee for the construction of the flagship Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP) comprising representatives of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Union, the European Investment Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
The Committee, established at the Kyrgyz Republic International Energy Investment Forum, in Vienna on June 10, 2024, comprises major international financial institutions and development partners, including the World Bank, the OPEC Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The Kambarata-1 HPP, with a projected capacity of 1,860 megawatts and an average annual generation of 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, is to be constructed at preliminary cost exceeding $4 billion in the upper reaches of the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan. Once completed, the largest hydropower plant in Kyrgyzstan is expected to end the country’s electricity shortages. In addition, the ambitious project, jointly implemented with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, aims to strengthen cooperation within Central Asia in water and energy resource management.
During their visit, delegates reviewed progress on the Kambarata-1 HPP and in addition, met Kyrgyz Minister of Energy Taalaibek Ibrayev and representatives of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to discuss and establish a mechanism for regular consultations and data exchange to ensure effective cooperation on the project.
Last month, Minister Ibrayev reported significant progress on the development of the HPP construction and said that all preparatory stages will be completed by next May. Early in September, Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers and the World Bank organized a roundtable on the selection of a dam for the Kambarata-1 HPP. The Swiss engineering company AFRY proposed various options for the project, and based on the type of dam chosen, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy stated that a feasibility study would be prepared by May 2025.
