The Issyk hydroelectric power station: how access to information is lost at an altitude of 1700 meters
Everyone knows that with the climb in the mountains it becomes more difficult to breathe because of the thin air and the decrease in the amount of oxygen. This physical law is immutable. However, access to information, as it turns out, is subject to other, much more confusing patterns, especially when it comes to large-scale projects in sensitive natural areas. The ecological society “Green Salvation” from Almaty (Kazakhstan) on its website told about the information blockade around the plans for the development of Lake Issyk:
In early April 2025, the official website of the Akimat of Almaty region announced the upcoming large-scale reconstruction of the dam on Lake Issyk. The project, positioned as “the project of our whole life” by the General Director of Khabel LLP, involves private investments in the amount of 23.6 billion tenge. The goals are stated to increase the safety of hydraulic structures, create 180 new jobs and develop tourist infrastructure. The investor expressed his desire to turn Issyk into a business card of Kazakhstan, emphasizing “a thrifty, reasonable attitude to Nature.”
Two weeks later, the Kursiv edition added an important detail: the new manager of Lake Issyk, who received the facility in trust management for 49 years, plans not only to restore the dam and develop tourism, but also to build a hydroelectric power station (HPP). It was clarified that Lake Issyk is located on the territory of the Ile-Alatau National Park, and the modernization of the dam is long overdue after an unsuccessful previous experience.
Despite the optimistic statements, the ecological society “Green Salvation” has serious environmental and legal issues. Firstly, if the lake and its shores are really located within the boundaries of the national park, then, according to the legislation of Kazakhstan on specially protected natural areas (SPNA), all real estate on them should be transferred to environmental institutions on the right of operational management, and not to private companies in trust.
Secondly, Lake Issyk directly borders the Almaty State Nature Reserve, around which a two-kilometer protection zone has been established. The laws on protected areas categorically prohibit any activity in the protected areas of nature reserves and national parks that could change the hydrological regime of ecosystems. This includes the construction of dams, dams and other hydraulic structures that can lead to the cessation or reduction of natural water flow. Thus, even if the lake itself is not included in the national park, its location in the protected areas of two objects at once imposes strict restrictions.
Thirdly, there is already a sad experience. In 2020, Lake Issyk became very shallow, and the probable reason for this was the work of the new HPP-1, launched a year earlier, as well as the preceding HPP-2, HPP-3 and HPP-4. Water from the lake was discharged for the needs of hydroelectric power plants. It is still an open question what effect these manipulations with the water level have on the unique ecosystems of the reserve and the national park, which were not created to generate electricity.
The situation is aggravated by long-term ambiguity with the boundaries of the park, reserve and their protected areas. There are no special signs marking these boundaries on the shore of the lake, although this is a direct requirement of the law. The Land Code, in turn, prohibits the use of a land plot until its boundaries are established on the ground and title documents are issued.
An attempt by environmentalists to clarify the situation with the help of official maps only added to the confusion. The map of the Ile-Alatau National Park, published on its website, turned out to be so schematic that it was not even possible to find the lake itself on it. The map of the Almaty State Nature Reserve is more detailed and indicates that the eastern and southeastern shores of the lake are located within the boundaries of the reserve. On the portal “Specially protected natural areas” the entire water area of the lake and its shores are included in the park lands. The most amazing document turned out to be a map on the website of the Unified State Cadastre of Real Estate. According to it, Lake Issyk and its coast (cadastral number 03044307109) are classified as “Lands of industry, transport, communications…” with the intended purpose “for the placement of protective structures and industrial facilities” and are managed by the State Institution “Department of Agriculture of Almaty region”. This is reminiscent of the famous phrase of Kozma Prutkov: “If you read the inscription “buffalo” on the cage of an elephant, do not believe your eyes.”
In search of the truth, environmentalists sent official requests. The Committee of Forestry and Wildlife, which manages the reserve and the national park, answered succinctly: Lake Issyk and the construction of hydroelectric power stations are not within their competence, recommending contacting the Akimat of Almaty region. Such indifference to the fate of accountable Territories causes serious concern.
The following request, sent on May 12 to the Office of Akim of Almaty region, contained specific questions: which state agency will make a decision on the project, what are the possibilities of public participation, whether the public is properly informed, where to get a feasibility study (feasibility study) of the project and whether an environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been carried out. The request referred to the norms of the Environmental Code, the Law “On Access to Information” and the Aarhus Convention, emphasizing the right of the public to full access to all information held by decision-makers.
The reaction followed immediately, but turned out to be a bureaucratic merry-go-round. The appeal was registered and consistently redirected: first to the Department of Tourism, then to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. Then the Tourism Department redirected it further, the Agriculture Department did the same. Then the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation was connected, which also forwarded the request. In the end, on May 19, the appeal turned out to be in the Finance Department of Almaty region. This rapid shuffling between departments has left public figures in complete confusion as to who and when will provide an exhaustive and reliable answer.
It seems that at an altitude of 1700 meters above sea level, not only access to oxygen is limited, but also to important environmental information. However, these are no longer the laws of physics, but manifestations of bureaucratic games. Perhaps legislators should consider a proposal to amend all relevant laws: “Access to information does not depend on altitude above sea level.”
Original (in Russian): ГЭС на Иссыке: как доступ к информации теряется на высоте 1700 метров
