The energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signed the Kambar-Ata-1 road map – The Diplomat

good January 6The energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on the construction of the Kambar-Ata HPP-1 on the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan.

At a meeting in Bishkek, the Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan Taalaibek Ibraev, the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Bolat Aksholakov and the Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov signed a roadmap for the construction of the long-awaited dam, emphasizing that the project will benefit all three countries.

Ibraev described the project as a path to Kyrgyzstan’s energy security.

“If we build the Kambar-Ata HPP-1 together with neighboring countries, the shortage of electricity in our country will be eliminated,” he said. The document, signed by the three ministers, is called the “road map”.

“Preparations are underway for the construction of the Kambar-Ata HPP-1, the construction of roads, bridges, power lines, construction sites,” Ibrayev said.

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Kambar-Ata-1 (also spelled as Kambarata-1) is not a new proposal. Indeed, the first such hydropower project on this site was started in 1986, but construction fell victim to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. By 2008, Russia had taken on the Kambar-Ata-1 project and the Upper Naryn Cascade project and promised funding; however, little real work has been done and by 2014 — especially after Russia invaded Crimea — it became clear that the projects were not a priority for Moscow.

At the end of 2015, then-president of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambaev openly questioned Russia’s commitment, saying at a press conference at the end of the year: “I don’t like unfinished construction projects, you have to be realistic. We all see the state of the Russian economy, it is, let’s say, not on the rise, and for objective reasons these agreements (on the construction of a hydroelectric power station) cannot be implemented by the Russian side.”

Of course, then the question arose: who, if not Russia, would finance this large-scale project?

This detail was not detailed in the recent roadmap signing report, but last summer Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov attended the publicized launch building on the site and announced that 412.8 million soms were allocated from the budget for “research, feasibility studies and other work.” He also said that 1.5 billion soms were allocated from the budget “in order to independently start construction work at the facility.”

In fact, start building it and they (additional funding and partners, i.e.) will come.

The project will include the construction of a dam, estimated at 256 meters, and a power plant with an installed capacity of 1,860 megawatts. According to 24 kgThe report says that “Kambarata HPP-1 will generate an average of 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity with a total reservoir capacity of 5.4 billion cubic meters of water.”

In light of the signing of the roadmap with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, proper construction is now expected. will start by 2024, and the first unit is planned to be commissioned by 2028. Kambar-Ata-1 is just one of several hydropower projects along the Naryn River that have been proposed or studied over the years.

Ten years ago, Uzbekistan was not a big fan of the Kambar-Ata-1 project (nor was he so passionate about Rogun HPP in Tajikistan), with the country’s main concerns being the threat to its water supply if dams are built upstream and the threat of an alternative energy exporter in the region. But times have changed, both politically in Uzbekistan and with regard to regional energy supplies. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan all in recent years have suffered from a significant lack of energy, especially in winter; they will all benefit from additional supplies in the neighborhood.

All this suggests that there is still a long way to go. At best, Kambar-Ata-1 will be able to start generating electricity in 2028. Funding remains unclear, and such projects are not cheap. Finally, ass Central Asian glaciers continue to shrinkthe long-term value of these large hydropower projects may also decline.