Our People > Sergey Kwan

Sergey Kwan

Journalist

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
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Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

Articles

Fuel Supply

Kyrgyzstan Turns to China as Russian Fuel Supplies Falter

Kyrgyzstan, which has depended almost entirely on Russian fuel for years, is accelerating its search for alternative suppliers. On August 17, the authorities began direct talks with China’s Sinopec. The search has become more urgent as Russian supplies have grown less reliable and gasoline prices in Bishkek have risen. Some filling stations have also periodically run out of AI-95 gasoline. Erlist Akunbekov, Kyrgyzstan’s deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, met with executives from China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) in Urumqi on August 17. Representatives of more than ten Kyrgyz oil-sector companies traveled to China with him. The sides discussed direct supplies of petroleum products, including transportation and customs clearance. “Kyrgyzstan is interested in increasing supplies of petroleum products from China. This area has great potential and, I believe, represents a long-term direction for trade and economic cooperation between our countries,” Akunbekov said during the meeting. Until recently, Bishkek had little reason to change the established arrangement. Russia is relatively close and supplies petroleum products to Kyrgyzstan duty-free under agreed indicative balances within the Eurasian Economic Union. Russian fuel accounts for more than 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s imported petroleum products. From January through May 2026, Russia supplied more than 251,000 tons of gasoline and 235,150 tons of diesel fuel. Jet fuel deliveries reached 48,150 tons. But the reliability of this model has come into question amid problems at Russian refineries. Ukrainian drone strikes and refinery maintenance have reduced available supplies. Seasonal demand and export restrictions have added further pressure, while renewed attacks in late July and early August worsened the situation. By mid-August, restrictions on fuel sales were in place in at least ten Russian regions, while gasoline sales on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange had fallen by about 20% since the beginning of the month. Particularly significant for Central Asia was the strike on the Orsk refinery in Russia’s Orenburg region, near the border with Kazakhstan. The refinery, with an annual processing capacity of about 6 million tons, halted operations after an August 11 attack. Regional authorities have said repairs could take up to six months. For Kyrgyzstan, problems in Russia quickly show up at the pump. In May, a liter of AI-92 gasoline in Bishkek cost an average of 78.4 soms, or about $0.90. By August 17, the price of the country’s most popular gasoline grade had reached 87.9 soms, about $1 per liter. AI-95 was selling for 109.9 soms, about $1.25, while diesel cost 99.9 soms, about $1.14 per liter. Some filling stations have been unable to offer AI-95, while others have temporarily stopped operating. The government initially introduced price controls in late May, then partially rolled them back in July as maintaining fixed prices became increasingly difficult amid rising import costs. The search for alternatives began before the latest meeting with Sinopec. Kyrgyzstan has held talks with Kazakhstan and Belarus, while separate discussions have involved Uzbekistan. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have also been approached. Agreements have already been reached with Belarus for supplies of diesel and...

4 days ago

Labor Market

Kazakhstan South Korea Working Visa Route Opens Under EPS

South Korea is opening an official route into its labor market for citizens of Kazakhstan, thousands of whom already work in the country without legal status. Seoul has added Kazakhstan to its Employment Permit System (EPS), a government program that allows South Korean employers facing labor shortages to recruit workers from participating countries. Kazakh workers are expected to begin arriving through the system in 2028. Kazakhstan has become the 18th country designated as a sending country under the EPS, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan already participate in the program. Kazakhstan had sought admission since 2023, but its large population of undocumented workers in South Korea became the main obstacle to an agreement. According to figures cited by Kazakh officials in 2025, about 15,000 Kazakhstanis were working in South Korea, roughly 11,000 of them without legal status. The EPS allows foreign workers to obtain E-9 visas for jobs in sectors facing labor shortages, including manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and fisheries. Workers are generally admitted for three years, with extensions allowing them to remain for up to four years and 10 months. Recruitment will not begin immediately. Kazakhstan and South Korea must first sign a memorandum of understanding and establish the arrangements for the Korean-language test required under the EPS (EPS-TOPIK), which Kazakh officials have said will be conducted at the National Testing Center in Almaty. Kazakh citizens can travel to South Korea visa-free for short stays, but this does not give them the right to work. Some visitors have overstayed and found jobs in construction, agriculture, and other sectors. The scale of undocumented employment complicated Kazakhstan’s attempt to join the EPS. In the fall of 2025, Kazakh officials acknowledged that Seoul wanted concrete measures to reduce illegal migration. Astana prepared a roadmap aimed at reducing the number of undocumented workers and preventing those recruited through a future legal scheme from overstaying. For prospective workers, the change is straightforward: instead of entering South Korea as a visitor and seeking work without authorization, applicants will be able to apply from Kazakhstan and enter the country with permission to work. The agreement forms part of a broader effort by Kazakhstan to create legal routes for its citizens working abroad. Astana has also reached labor-migration agreements or cooperation arrangements with countries including Qatar and the United Kingdom, while pursuing similar deals elsewhere.

5 days ago

Oil and Gas

U.S. Firm to Test Oilfield Water Recycling in Kazakhstan

U.S.-based IBL Elements will test technology in Kazakhstan for treating water produced during oil and gas extraction. The treated water could be reused, while the substances it contains will be studied to determine whether valuable and critical minerals can potentially be recovered. IBL Elements, the National Hydrogeological Service Kazhydrogeology, and oil producer Kazakhoil Aktobe have signed a memorandum of cooperation. The parties are preparing a pilot project to test technologies for treating industrial and produced water at oil and gas facilities. Produced water occurs naturally in underground formations and is brought to the surface along with oil and gas. Once separated from hydrocarbons, it can be treated for reuse or disposal, or reinjected underground. The new project is intended to determine whether some of this water can be returned to industrial use. Specialists will also study its composition and the possibility of recovering minerals. For now, the project is limited to research and testing. No commercial extraction of any elements has been announced. IBL Elements is based in Oklahoma and develops technologies for treating oilfield wastewater and recovering minerals from brines. The company says it is developing iodine extraction technology and also plans to recover lithium and other minerals. If the trials are successful, the technology could also be used at other oil and gas facilities in Kazakhstan, according to Bolat Bekniyaz, chairman of Kazhydrogeology. The project comes as American interest in Kazakhstan’s critical minerals is growing. In June, representatives of more than 20 U.S. companies and government agencies attended the AMM 2026 mining and metallurgy congress in Astana. Washington is looking at projects in Kazakhstan involving not only mining, but also processing and the development of new supply chains. For the IBL Elements project, critical minerals are only one part of the equation. The other is growing pressure on Kazakhstan’s water supplies. The country uses about 25 billion cubic meters of water annually, with industry accounting for roughly a quarter of that amount. Kazakhstan’s new Water Code requires industrial enterprises and heat producers to gradually transition to circulating and reused water supply systems. So far, 168 transition plans have been prepared. The authorities aim to increase the share of reused water in industry from 13% to 28% by 2030. The issue is particularly acute in Kazakhstan’s oil-producing west, where freshwater shortages coincide with large volumes of water brought to the surface during oil production. The outcome of the pilot will therefore depend on two factors: whether this water can be treated for reuse and whether it contains minerals at concentrations high enough to make their recovery economically viable.

1 week ago

Electricity Demand

Kyrgyzstan Electricity Imports to Rise Again in 2026

Kyrgyzstan will again have to import a significant share of its electricity in 2026. With consumption expected to reach 19.6 billion kWh, domestic power plants are projected to generate 15.5 billion kWh. The difference, around 4.1 billion kWh, will have to be covered by imports. For a country where most electricity is generated by hydropower plants along the Naryn River, many of them built during the Soviet period, the current deficit is the result of a long-running gap between rising demand and the construction of new large-scale generating capacity. The new estimates from the Energy Ministry were presented on August 10 during preparations for the heating season. A year earlier, Kyrgyzstan imported about 3.9 billion kWh, meaning that its dependence on external supplies is expected to increase slightly this year. The reasons go far beyond the current period of low water levels. Kyrgyzstan’s power system in its present form developed as part of the integrated Soviet Central Asian network. The republic controlled the upper reaches of the Naryn River, while reservoirs and hydropower plants built along it served two purposes: generating electricity and regulating water flows for agriculture downstream, primarily in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The first major plant on the Naryn was the Uch-Kurgan Hydropower Plant, commissioned in the early 1960s. Construction of the much larger Toktogul hydropower complex began in 1962. Toktogul was commissioned in January 1975. It was followed by the Kurpsai, Tash-Kumyr, and Shamaldy-Sai hydropower plants. This cascade became the backbone of Kyrgyzstan’s electricity sector. The Soviet system was not designed to make each republic self-sufficient in energy. Kyrgyzstan stored water during the colder months and released it for downstream irrigation in summer, generating electricity that fed into the regional grid. In return, it received fuel and power from elsewhere in the Soviet system during winter. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, that integrated system fragmented, while the power plants and reservoirs remained. Construction of new large facilities then almost stopped. Work on Kambarata-2 began in 1986 but was suspended after the collapse of the Soviet Union; its first generating unit was not commissioned until 2010. As a result, a substantial share of Kyrgyzstan’s present-day electricity generation still comes from plants built several decades ago. The hydropower plants themselves are gradually being modernised. Following rehabilitation, Toktogul’s capacity increased from the original 1,200 MW to 1,440 MW. But upgrading existing generating units does not solve the other problem: electricity consumption is growing faster than new sources of generation are being added. In 2025, the country consumed about 19.1 billion kWh, roughly 860 million kWh more than a year earlier. Imports totaled about 3.9 billion kWh from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. This year, imports are expected to increase to 4.1 billion kWh. The situation also depends on water availability. The Toktogul Reservoir allows part of the Naryn’s flow to be shifted between seasons, so its water level directly affects the generating capacity of the country’s largest hydropower plant. At the August 10 meeting, the authorities said the reservoir...

2 weeks ago

Bilateral Investment

Kyrgyzstan’s Bilateral Development Funds Back Industry and Energy Projects

Kyrgyzstan has established bilateral development funds with Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Hungary that are financing manufacturing and energy projects across the country. The Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund (RKDF) is by far the largest. In November 2025, President Sadyr Japarov said it had invested more than $1 billion in Kyrgyzstan and financed more than 3,500 projects since its creation. At the time, the fund was participating in 14 hydropower and renewable energy projects worth more than $175 million. One of them is the 25-megawatt Bala-Saruu hydropower plant in Talas Region, for which the RKDF allocated $10 million to help complete construction. The newer Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund has also begun financing identifiable projects. By November 2025, it had allocated $14.4 million to four projects worth a combined $52.7 million. They included KG TEX, a garment factory with 300 jobs, and the 9-megawatt Tyup small hydropower plant. The Uzbek-Kyrgyz Development Fund financed the 6.7-megawatt Kogart hydropower plant. The project began in August 2022 and was ready for operation by July 2024, according to the fund. In May 2026, the Hungarian-Kyrgyz Development Fund opened a long-term credit line for NEMAN-PHARM. The first financing stage was earmarked for purchasing pharmaceutical products in Hungary. Projects financed by the fund must include a Hungarian component of at least 30%. Its published loan rates range from 1.5% to 7.25% a year, with terms of up to 10 years. These institutions are operating during a period of rapid economic expansion in Kyrgyzstan. Gross domestic product grew by 11.9% year-on-year in the first half of 2026. The International Monetary Fund has warned of emerging signs of overheating and expects re-export and trade-related activity to plateau. The number of state-backed financing options is also set to increase. The Turkic Investment Fund has begun practical operations and is expected to provide financing for joint projects across Central Asia. For Kyrgyzstan, these funds provide access to long-term capital for projects that may struggle to secure conventional financing. Their success will ultimately depend on whether the businesses and infrastructure they support remain viable and repay their loans.

2 weeks ago

Foreign Students

Kazakhstan International Student Scholarships Draw 16,000 Applicants

More than 16,000 people from 71 countries applied for 550 scholarships at Kazakh universities for the 2026-2027 academic year, giving applicants a success rate of just 3.4%. The successful candidates represent 49 countries, up from 26 in the previous academic year. The largest numbers of applications came from the Palestinian territories, Indonesia, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Kazakhstan's state scholarship program provides 490 undergraduate scholarships, 50 master's scholarships, and 10 doctoral scholarships. The awards cover tuition and provide recipients with a monthly stipend. For the first time, students from the United States, Italy, Germany, the Maldives, and South Korea have been awarded scholarships under the program. A total of 27 universities are participating in the initiative, offering 886 academic programs. The largest numbers of scholarship recipients will study at Astana IT University and L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Astana, Satbayev University and the Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages in Almaty, and Sh. Ualikhanov Kokshetau University in Kokshetau. The program involved 37 universities and offered 2,668 academic programs last year, compared with 27 universities and 886 programs this year. The ministry did not explain the change. Launched in 2019, the scholarship program is designed to attract talented international students to Kazakhstan while expanding academic cooperation with other countries. It is open to foreign nationals, including ethnic Kazakhs living abroad who are not citizens of Kazakhstan. The ministry said ethnic Kazakhs from abroad accounted for a “significant” share of applicants, but did not disclose what proportion of the 550 scholarships they received. Applicants can select Kazakh, Russian, or English as their language of instruction, depending on the degree program. They must demonstrate sufficient proficiency before admission, as the scholarship program does not include preparatory courses in basic subjects or foreign languages. Competition for the scholarships has intensified. Applications increased from 13,723 candidates from 57 countries for the 2025-2026 academic year to 16,098 applicants from 71 countries this year, an increase of 17.3%, while the number of awards remained unchanged at 550. The scholarship program is part of Kazakhstan's broader effort to establish itself as a regional higher education hub. During the 2025-2026 academic year, the country hosted 35,075 international students from 88 countries, an increase of 11% from the previous year, while the government has expanded partnerships with foreign universities and opened 32 foreign university branches, attended by approximately 12,000 students. International students nevertheless account for only about 5% of Kazakhstan’s total university enrollment. Kazakhstan occupies the top three positions in the QS Central Asia University Rankings 2026. Al-Farabi Kazakh National University ranks first, followed by L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and Satbayev University. Eighteen Kazakh institutions appear in the QS World University Rankings 2027, although none ranks among the global top 100. Al-Farabi Kazakh National University leads the country at joint 177th, followed by L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University at joint 338th and Satbayev University at joint 351st.

3 weeks ago

Glacier Retreat

Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Glaciers Have Lost One-Third of Their Area

Glacier coverage in the Issyk-Kul Basin has shrunk by 33.7% compared with records from 70–90 years ago, according to an updated inventory released by Kyrgyzhydromet, the Hydrometeorological Service under Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. The service said coverage had declined by 23.1% over the past 7–10 years, indicating that the retreat has accelerated. The revised inventory was compiled using Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, Google Earth, QGIS, and earlier glacier catalogs. Researchers refined glacier boundaries, documented fragmentation, and identified glaciers that had disappeared. Kyrgyzhydromet attributed the decline to climate change and said the new inventory would provide a baseline for assessing the country’s long-term water resources. The retreat has implications for Lake Issyk-Kul, which is fed by rivers originating in the surrounding mountains. The 2018 Catalogue of Glaciers of Kyrgyzstan, based on Landsat 8 imagery from 2013–2016, recorded 957 glaciers covering 560.8 square kilometers in the Issyk-Kul Basin. About 118 rivers and streams flow into the lake, many supplied by snow and glacial melt. Between 1927 and 2003, the lake’s water level fell by 2.75 meters. Continued glacier loss could reduce river inflows and increase pressure on agriculture and tourism, both of which depend heavily on the basin’s water resources. In December 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Concept for the Sustainable Development of the Ecological and Economic System of Lake Issyk-Kul through 2030, along with an action plan. The measures include modernizing irrigation infrastructure and expanding the use of water-saving technologies, supported by concessional financing for farmers. Kyrgyzstan is also preparing a feasibility study for an integrated national cryosphere monitoring system. The proposed system would combine monitoring of glaciers and snow cover with other parts of the cryosphere. The new inventory provides a more recent basis for that work and for future water management and climate risk assessments.

3 weeks ago

chemical waste

Kyrgyzstan Hazardous Waste Cleanup Begins at Soviet Era Kristall Plant

Kyrgyzstan has launched a project with Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom to eliminate hazardous chemical waste stored for decades at the former Kristall industrial plant, one of the country's most dangerous Soviet-era environmental sites. Located in Tash-Kumyr in Jalal-Abad Region, the Kristall plant was intended to become one of the Soviet Union’s largest producers of high-purity silicon, a material used in microchips and, more recently, solar panels. Construction began in 1982 and the site was commissioned in 1989, but was never completed at its planned scale. Rising energy costs and the economic disruption that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union left the plant uncompetitive. Several attempts were made to revive production, although it never returned to full industrial operation and was declared bankrupt in 2010. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Natural Resources estimates that around 80 metric tons of toxic chemicals remain at the site. A more detailed Rosatom audit identified as much as 155 metric tons of confirmed or suspected chemical residues. For more than 15 years, the stockpile has been regarded as a potential environmental and public health risk. Both chemicals react rapidly with water or moisture in the air, producing heat and corrosive hydrogen chloride fumes. Exposure to the substances or their vapors can cause severe burns to the skin and eyes, damage the respiratory system, and, at high concentrations, cause potentially fatal lung injuries. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the chemicals are stored in specially designed metal containers that have gradually deteriorated after years without maintenance, increasing the risk of leaks. A technical assessment conducted by specialists from Rosatom in October 2024 confirmed the advanced deterioration of the storage infrastructure. It found that natural corrosion and decades of inactivity had increased the risk of tanks losing their seals or collapsing. Practical disposal work is scheduled to begin in November 2026. The operation has been planned for the colder months because lower temperatures reduce the danger of uncontrolled evaporation, fire, or chemical releases when the tanks are opened. The authorities expect the hazardous chemicals to be fully neutralized and the site brought to an environmentally safe condition by 2027. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations has valued its contract with Rosatom at 321.6 million rubles (approximately US$4.1 million). Although Kyrgyz officials previously said they were discussing possible Russian financing, the ministry later stated that the work would be paid for through Kyrgyzstan’s state budget. The project forms part of Kyrgyzstan’s broader effort to address the country’s Soviet-era environmental legacy. Rosatom has also helped clean up five former uranium sites at Min-Kush and Kaji-Sai, relocating large volumes of radioactive waste and restoring contaminated land over a nine-year period. Russia covered approximately 75% of the cost of that separate program. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Bishkek had begun developing a unified long-term monitoring system for former uranium mining and waste sites to oversee their condition after remediation work is completed. Kristall presents a different type of danger because its waste is chemical rather than radioactive. Its history nevertheless...

3 weeks ago

transport policy

Bishkek Proposes Curbs on Private Car Use

Bishkek authorities are proposing a shift in the capital’s transport policy by prioritizing public transport and gradually reducing reliance on private cars. A draft presidential decree prepared by the Bishkek mayor’s office has been released for public consultation. The proposal calls for a long-term transport development program, the creation of an interagency coordination headquarters, upgrades to road infrastructure, new traffic management schemes, and continued investment in the city’s municipal public transport network. Its stated objective is to reduce chronic traffic congestion and improve air quality in the capital. According to the explanatory note accompanying the draft, Bishkek’s road network is no longer capable of handling current traffic volumes. When the city was originally planned, its streets were designed to accommodate around 50,000 vehicles. Today, more than 400,000 vehicles are registered in Bishkek alone, with thousands more entering the city each day from surrounding districts and neighboring regions. Opportunities to expand the road network remain limited. The city has substantially modernized its public transport fleet in recent years. Since 2022, Bishkek has purchased new buses and electric buses. Around 1,300 municipal buses and electric buses now operate on city routes each day, carrying approximately 800,000 passengers. Despite these improvements, more than 500,000 residents continue to rely on private cars. The authors of the draft argue that the current use of road space remains inefficient. A single bus can carry up to 50 passengers while occupying only slightly more road space than several private cars, which generally carry between one and four people. The draft decree does not introduce immediate restrictions on motorists. Instead, it establishes a legal framework for future measures aimed at reducing private vehicle use in the city’s most congested areas. Under the proposal, the mayor-led headquarters could launch pilot traffic restrictions, paid parking schemes, and priority lanes for public transport. Its decisions would be binding on state and municipal bodies. The proposed reforms follow last year’s controversy over Bishkek’s decision to phase out its trolleybus system. After dismantling the overhead power lines, the authorities planned to convert the remaining trolleybus fleet into electric buses. However, the conversion tender failed twice after attracting no bids, forcing the municipality to consider alternative approaches. The decision to abandon the trolleybus network drew criticism from environmental organizations and some transport experts. City officials had also previously considered restricting traffic based on odd and even vehicle registration numbers but abandoned the proposal following public criticism. Reducing traffic is also viewed as an important tool for tackling air pollution. According to official estimates, between 600,000 and 700,000 vehicles operate in Bishkek each day, including those entering the city from elsewhere, while more than half of the vehicle fleet is over 15 years old. Road transport accounts for around 30% of air pollution in the capital. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Bishkek’s air pollution had once again become the subject of parliamentary debate, with lawmakers attributing the worsening environmental situation primarily to the rapid growth in vehicle numbers, an aging vehicle fleet,...

3 weeks ago

Fuel prices

Kyrgyzstan Moves to Contain Rising Fuel Prices

Kyrgyzstan’s fuel regulator has reached a new pricing agreement with retailers as higher import costs continue to strain the domestic market. The framework applies to AI-92 gasoline and diesel fuel. Liquefied petroleum gas is also covered. Retailers will follow an approved schedule for price adjustments and notify the Antimonopoly Regulation Service when suppliers change wholesale prices. The regulator will monitor the market and consider changes to the schedule when import costs shift significantly. The aim is to maintain supplies while limiting unjustified increases at filling stations. The measure comes as problems at Russian refineries continue to affect regional fuel markets. Kyrgyzstan obtains more than 90% of its imported petroleum products from Russia, leaving it highly exposed to changes in Russian output and export policy. Retail prices still do not include the full increase in import costs, the regulator said. A government subsidy program introduced in May compensates fuel importers and retailers for part of the difference between purchase costs and fixed benchmark prices. Without the subsidies, officials estimate that AI-92 gasoline would cost about $1.20 per liter and diesel about $1.32 per liter. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, the government removed AI-95 gasoline from temporary price regulation and abandoned plans for maximum retail prices after supply problems emerged.

3 weeks ago

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