On the eve of the 13th ATOMEXPO-2024 International Forum in Sochi, Russia, representatives of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy signed an agreement with representatives of Russian state nuclear company Rosatom on the implementation of small-scale energy projects in Kyrgyzstan. At the forum, Rosatom’s management announced that the parties agreed to develop projects and then build small power facilities in Kyrgyzstan with a capacity of up to 400 MW, in different regions of the republic: the Jalal-Abad, Talas and Batken regions.
“The Kyrgyz Republic has tremendous potential for the development of small hydropower and construction of hydropower plants. Together with Rosatom’s in-depth expertise, it becomes possible not only to build environmentally friendly energy sources, but also to create sustainable infrastructure and decent jobs in the region,” said Evgeny Salkov, general director of JSC Rosatom Service. Rosatom Service is a subsidiary of Rosatom which deals with maintenance of energy facilities, including nuclear power plants.
The Kyrgyz delegation said that it’s ready to support any investment in the country’s energy sector. “Kyrgyzstan has created a favorable environment and conditions for international investment in hydropower projects. I am sure that Rosatom’s serious long-term plans related to investments in the Kyrgyz Republic will serve as the right message for domestic investors as well. Investments in the hydropower sector in Kyrgyzstan are profitable and reliable investments, and the government of the republic will continue at all levels to support the construction of new HPP projects,” said Taalaibek Ibraev, Kyrgyzstan’s minister for energy, speaking at the forum.
Meanwhile, Rosatom believes that Kyrgyzstan has great potential in developing green energy. Moreover, Kyrgyz authorities’ diversified approach to the development of the energy sector will contribute to the country’s energy independence. According to Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev, the Kyrgyz leadership is now expressing serious interest in building a small nuclear power plant, as well as wind farms.
“We are working on all of these directions. In particular, we have already reached agreements on the construction of a 100 MW wind power plant in the Issyk-Kul region. This is the first step, because the leadership of Kyrgyzstan plans to build wind power capacity of at least 1 GW,” Likhachev said.
Currently the Russian company is building several small hydroelectric power plants in the west and south of Kyrgyzstan. Earlier, Rosatom concluded a memorandum with the Kyrgyz authorities to work out a roadmap for the construction of a low-capacity nuclear power plant in the Central Asian republic, which will consist of two power units of 55 MW each. The situation is complicated by the fact that almost the entire territory of Kyrgyzstan is located within a zone of elevated seismic activity.
