Kyrgyzstan Environment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Chinese Company To Build Four Power Plants in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Energy and the China National Electric Engineering Co. Ltd. (CNEEC) have signed a memorandum of cooperation. The document provides for the construction of the Suusamyr-Kokomeren cascade of hydroelectric power plants and Kara-Keche thermal power plant, the ministry announced on January 24th. The Suusamyr-Kokomeren hydropower cascade will consist of three hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 1,305 MW and an annual electricity generation of 3.3 billion kilowatt-hours. These are the Karakol hydroelectric power plant (33 MW), Kokomeren HPP-1 (360 MW), and Kokomeren HPP-2 (912 MW). The Kara-Keche thermal power plant, which will be built at the Kara-Keche coal deposit in the country’s Naryn region, will have a capacity of 600 MW, the ministry said. In recent years Kyrgyzstan has been looking for foreign investment to build new power generation facilities. Kyrgyzstan has for years experienced chronic power shortages, especially in the cold winter months, and has to import electricity from neighboring Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to meet its growing power needs.

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Italy Proposes Project To Mitigate Climate Change Consequences In Aral Sea

On January 24th Italy’s deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli, and deputy minister for the environment and energy security, Vannia Gava, held a meeting with the ambassadors of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Italy. At the meeting, the top management of SOGESID SPA, an engineering and specialized technical support company wholly owned by the Italian state, presented a project proposal to mitigate the consequences of climate change in the Aral Sea, an area of Central Asia at high risk of desertification. The project idea, which envisages targeted interventions for the integrated environmental regeneration of the Aral Sea basin, also falls within the framework of the Italian presidency of the EU-Central Asia High-Level Conference on Environment and Water, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said. During the meeting, it was also proposed to consider the involvement of the Italian Climate Fund, the main national public instrument for pursuing the objectives undertaken by Italy in the context of international agreements on climate and environment. The meeting also discussed issues of content for the upcoming meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs in the “Italy + Central Asia” format, which will be held in 2024 in Rome, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said.

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Development of Kyrgyzstan’s largest iron deposit begins

Kyrgyzstan's state enterprise Kyrgyzgeologiya will begin exploration work at the iron deposit "Zhetim Too" in the Naryn region. The country's Cabinet of Ministers granted the entity the right to use subsurface resources for geological exploration at the deposit. The development of the iron deposit was one of the election promises of the current President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov. In 2020, Japarov said he was considering paying off the state debt to China with raw materials from the deposit. "This is a project that will pull our economy out of the swamp," the future head of state had declared while campaigning before the presidential election. Geologists predict that the "Zhetim-Too" deposit could earn $200 million a year. But it's not only about earning and selling raw materials abroad. At the "People's Kurultay" (i.e., people's parliament), the President noted that at the moment, the Kyrgyz Republic spends millions of dollars a year to buy iron to build railroads, hydroelectric power plants and other structures in the country. "In the future, we intend to use our own iron ore deposits and build modern plants to process iron ore and manufacture products from it instead of buying iron from outside," Japarov said. It should be noted that earlier attempts to start work at the "Zhetim Too" deposit ended in a political scandal and high-profile dismissals of officials. At one time, various foreign mining companies worked at the deposit, which caused discontent among local residents. Rallies were repeatedly held in nearby villages. In 2012, the Kyrgyz authorities sued the Chinese company Mylin Resources for the license of the deposit. Since 2016, the license for exploration and development of the subsoil of "Zhetim Too" has belonged to the state. Kyrgyzstan's geologists have previously stated that the exploration of the deposit will take at least five years. After all, it is necessary to assess the reserves of the deposit and the depth of their occurrence, as well as to study the composition of the soil and what percentage of it contains metals. There are also issues of ecology, environmental protection and construction of necessary infrastructure. Additionally, relic forests of the Naryn Reserve are located near the deposit. "Zhetim Too" was discovered in 1956 at the junction of Naryn and Issyk-Kul oblasts of Kyrgyzstan. Iron reserves at the deposit were estimated from 3 to 10 billion tons. The Association of Mining Industries of Kyrgyzstan calls the site one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world. However, the deposit has been explored only superficially so far and requires additional exploration. The approximate cost of exploration is estimated at more than 20 million U.S. dollars.

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UNDP Supports Kyrgyzstan in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Ecosystem Management

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has helped Kyrgyzstan to conclude the biodiversity conservation project in Western Tian Shan, and is now launching a new initiative for the integrated management of valuable mountain ecosystems of Pamir-Alai. Speaking at an event marking the conclusion of the Western Tian Shan project, Alexandra Solovieva, UNDP Resident Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, highlighted the achievements of the project, which supported the adoption of a landscape approach, advocating for a holistic ecosystem strategy in biodiversity and natural resource planning, management, and monitoring. The project’s key achievements included strengthening protected area management, implementing high conservation value forest concepts, flagship species monitoring, revising sector legislation, expanding local community rights and opportunities, and promoting environmental education initiatives, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported on January 9th.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13449" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]The Western Tian Shan project focused on preserving globally significant biodiversity and the sustainable management of land and forest resources. A major achievement was the establishment of the Chatkal ecological corridor and the Kabak buffer zone, spanning 89,000 hectares, linking three protected areas - Alatai, Sary-Chelek, and Padysha-Ata - and facilitating natural wildlife migration. Recently adopted as the national symbol of the Kyrgyz Republic, the snow leopard, an ecosystem indicator species, plays a vital role in the health of entire ecosystems and in determining the well-being of its prey species. UNDP's conservation initiatives focus on preserving and increasing the snow leopard population, with recent data showing a population of 15 to 28 individuals in the Western Tian Shan mountains. Efforts to enhance conservation effectiveness include reducing ecosystem pressure through alternative income sources, local development, and expanding socioeconomic opportunities for residents near protected areas. The project supported income-generating initiatives in pilot villages of the Toktogul and Toguz-Toro districts, with a focus on expanding socio-economic opportunities for women and youth. "Our current country program aligns closely with national priorities, focusing on low-carbon sustainable development and reliable ecosystem preservation. UNDP will continue to support Kyrgyzstan in sustainable ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation,” stated Solovieva, adding that in January 2024, “we will launch the Pamir-Alai project, funded by the Global Environment Facility, reaffirming our dedication and partnership in preserving natural heritage and invaluable ecosystems."

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Bishkek in Top Ten Cities with Highest Level of Air Pollution

On January 3rd at 18:00, Bishkek entered the top ten cities globally with the highest levels of air pollution, clocking in at number seven according data compiled by AirNow, which reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI). According to the website, at this time the city was marked as "unhealthy", with an aAQI of 158. An air quality monitoring station has been installed on the territory of the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, which updates information every hour. The Air Quality Index is divided into six categories reflecting the level of health hazards. An AQI value above 300 is considered dangerous, whilst a value below 50 is considered good.

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Snow Leopard Becomes National Symbol of Kyrgyzstan

On December 30th, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a Decree “On recognizing the snow leopard as a national symbol of the Kyrgyz Republic,” the presidential press service has reported. The snow leopard has the status of a rare or endangered species in 12 countries. This animal is an indicator of the stability and health of the mountain ecosystem, which occupies a third of the globe. The loss of snow leopards from the wild would risk upsetting the delicate ecological balance, which would have detrimental effects on various animal species and humans. “In the culture of the ancient Kyrgyz people, the snow leopard personified greatness, nobility, courage, courage and endurance. Therefore, according to legends, the leopard was the totem animal of the great Manas,” the presidential press service reported. The poem "Manas" is one of the greatest works of Kyrgyz folklore, and is included in the list of masterpieces of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO, as well as in the Guinness Book of Records as the most voluminous epic in the world. Kyrgyzstan is an active participant in global wildlife conservation programs. At the first International Forum on Snow Leopard Conservation in Bishkek in 2013, with the support of representatives of 12 snow leopard range countries and the international community, the Bishkek Declaration on the Protection of the Snow Leopard was unanimously adopted and the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Program was approved. In order to further state support for initiatives to preserve the snow leopard and its ecosystem in the Kyrgyz Republic, the presidential decree instructed the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic to take measures to protect the snow leopard population and as its ecosystem, and to take measures to popularize the new national symbol.