Kyrgyzstan and China to accelerate modernization of Uch-Kurgan HPP
Kyrgyzstan and the Chinese company China National Electric Engineering Co., LTD have agreed to accelerate the modernization of the Uch-Kurgan hydroelectric power station. The corresponding supplementary agreement was signed on September 3, 2025 in China as part of the working trip of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
During the visit, the Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan Taalaibek Ibraev met with the president of the Chinese company Yang Wenhuang, where issues of deepening cooperation in the energy sector were discussed. The key outcome of the negotiations was the decision to change the schedule for the reconstruction of the Uch-Kurgan HPP– the oldest station on the Naryn River. The modernization project is being implemented with the financial support of the Asian Development Bank, and CNEEC is the general contractor.
The station is equipped with four hydraulic units. In 2024, the repair of the first of them was completed, which allowed to increase its capacity from 45 to 54 megawatts. In March 2025, the reconstruction of the second hydroelectric unit began, currently about 65% of the work has been completed. Completion of this phase will also add 9 MW to the total capacity of the station.
The new agreement provides for a departure from the sequential replacement of the remaining units. In 2026, the simultaneous reconstruction of two hydraulic units will be carried out at once. This approach is used for the first time in the practice of rehabilitation of energy facilities in Kyrgyzstan. This decision will speed up the modernization process and increase the installed capacity of the HPP by 18 MW already in 2026.
The purpose of the parallel replacement of blocks is to use water resources more efficiently and to increase the country’s generating capacities as soon as possible. The document fixing the new agreements was signed by Alpbek Sadyrov, General Director of Electric Stations OJSC, and Yang Bo, Deputy General Director of China National Electric Engineering Co., LTD.
Original (in Russian): Кыргызстан и Китай ускорят модернизацию Уч-Курганской ГЭС
