Financing of the controversial cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the Chatkal River has been launched in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan has officially launched the financing of a large-scale project to develop the hydropower potential of the Jalal-Abad region. The state, through OJSC “State Financial Holding”, acted as a guarantor for a loan to a private company LLC “Grant Holding”. The attracted credit funds in the amount of 60 million 950 thousand US dollars will be directed by the company to implement the Chatkal Cascade HPP construction project.
The new energy hub will be located in the valley of the Chatkal River on the territory of the Kanysh-Kyyan Aiyl aimag. The design capacity of the future cascade of HPPs has been approved at the level of 145.89 MW, and the unified system will include four generating facilities: the Bashki-Terek HPP, the Korgon-Sai HPP, the Chunkurchak HPP and the Aigyr-Jal HPP. The implementation of the initiative is designed to reduce the energy deficit in the region through the use of renewable water resources.
However, plans to develop the Chatkal River’s hydro resources are of concern to international experts and environmental organizations. The fact is that this project potentially affects the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Western Tien Shan”. The transboundary natural object covers protected areas in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, including the Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve. The Chatkal River flows directly through the territory of this reserve, and the adjacent valleys are part of the outstanding universal value of the UNESCO site due to their unique biodiversity.
Experts point to a number of environmental risks associated with the construction of new dams on Chatkala. In particular, there is a possibility of direct impact on valuable natural areas, including flooding of floodplain lands and changes in the riverbed. The construction of hydraulic structures can lead to fragmentation of habitats of rare and endemic fish species, such as Chatkal sculpin, as well as disrupt the migration routes of animals, including snow leopards and migratory birds. Environmental organizations, including the “Rivers without Boundaries” coalition, have repeatedly warned that the cumulative effect of hydropower construction in the region could cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem.
UNESCO representatives and international experts, including participants in monitoring missions in 2024, also expressed concern about plans to build a hydroelectric power station on Chatkala. They demanded that the Kyrgyz side conduct a thorough assessment of the impact on the World Heritage Site and appropriate public consultations. In official responses, the Kyrgyz authorities assured that there was no final decision on the construction of large facilities directly inside the reserve, but the presentation at the 2024 international investment Forum indicates that at least two large hydropower plants inside the reserve had design solutions developed back in 2022.
Other hydroelectric power stations were planned to be built above the Besh-Aral Reserve – on Chatkal and its tributaries. It is to them, probably, that the above-mentioned cascade of hydroelectric power stations, which is supposed to be located in the Kanysh-Kyyan ayyl aimag, belongs. Nevertheless, the Chatkal River and its valley are closely connected with the lower reserve, and any interference with the hydrological regime carries risks of indirect impact on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In this regard, in 2025, the World Heritage Committee instructed the countries where the Western Tien Shan World Heritage Site is located to urgently submit for consideration a map and a list of all plans to create dams in the river basins of the heritage site in order to assess the need for a comprehensive strategic assessment of the impacts on it. According to the rules of the World Heritage Convention, the potential impact of each such HPP on the heritage site is subject to a special assessment.
It is important to note that the implementation of the Chatkale HPP cascade construction project without submitting a proper environmental assessment to the UNESCO court and without taking damage minimization measures may lead to international claims. Environmental organizations continue to monitor the situation, calling for a strategic assessment of all planned hydroelectric power plants in the Chatkal River basin in order to avoid the inclusion of the Western Tien Shan in the World Heritage List under threat.
Alexander Eskendirov (Rivers.Help!)
Original (in Russian): В Кыргызстане дан старт финансированию спорного каскада ГЭС на реке Чаткал
