A subsidiary of the state-owned China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP) is considering a $95 million waste-to-energy plant in southern Kyrgyzstan. CECEP Environmental Protection’s proposal comes as Chinese companies play a growing role in turning municipal waste into electricity and heat in the country.
Company representatives discussed the proposal on November 3 with Ravshanbek Sabirov, director of the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The proposed complex would initially process 800 metric tons of waste per day, equivalent to 292,000 tons annually if operated continuously. Capacity could eventually rise to 2,000 tons per day. The city of Manas, formerly Jalal-Abad, and the nearby Suzak district are being considered as possible locations.
Feasibility and environmental studies are still needed to establish the project’s final design and cost. The agency announced neither an investment agreement nor a construction timetable.
In December 2025, Bishkek opened what authorities described as Central Asia’s first operational waste-to-energy plant. Built by China’s Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection at a cost of $95 million, the facility was designed to process 1,000 metric tons of municipal waste daily and generate up to 30 megawatts of electricity.
The plant operates at Bishkek’s main landfill, where decades of accumulated waste have created environmental problems for surrounding communities. It was developed under a 35-year concession agreement, after which it is to be transferred to the state.
Construction of a second phase began in June 2026. The expansion is intended to raise total processing capacity to 3,000 tons per day and electricity generation capacity to 90 megawatts.
Hunan Junxin is also involved in a waste-to-energy plant under construction in Osh and a project in the Issyk-Kul region. A groundbreaking ceremony for the latter was held in Karakol in October 2025, with initial facilities planned for the Ak-Suu district and Balykchy.
Waste-to-energy plants reduce the volume of material sent to landfills, but incineration is not recycling. Recovering reusable materials such as plastics and paper requires separate collection and sorting systems. Environmental performance also depends on emissions controls and the treatment of ash and other residues.
In an earlier interview with The Times of Central Asia, Chinara Sultanalieva, founder of the UpKel recycling project, said contaminated plastic and inadequate collection infrastructure made it difficult for recycling businesses to secure reliable supplies of usable material.
