BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan will focus on developing its hydro energy potential, the country’s Prime Minister Temir Sariyev said in a national radio program on January 5, the Government’s press service reported.
According to Sariyev, Kyrgyzstan has a huge hydro power potential that needs to be developed.
“We intend to focus on developing the existing hydro power potential. A priority task of the Government is to increase electricity generation by 40 percent before 2020,” he said.
The prime minister said that a tender for construction of a coal-fired electric power plant at the Kara-Keche coal mine will take place in March of this year. Construction of an 80 MW thermal electric power plant is planned at the Bel-Alma deposit in the Batken province. “Commissioning of all planned small and medium sized hydro power plants would increase the country’s energy potential up to 160 billion kilowatt-hours per year, a 10-fold increase compared to today’s electricity generation,” Sariyev said.
At the same time, the prime minister called on the population to save electricity as its consumption grows every year.
“Upon completion of the reconstruction of the Bishkek heat and power plant, it will use domestic coal only. In addition, work is going on to connect small towns to the centralized power supply system,” he said.
The prime minister also said that for rational use of electricity, it is necessary to install “smart” electricity meters at such power-consuming facilities as swimming pools, saunas, cafes and restaurants.
