The minister announced the “rapid construction” of the Kambar-Ata HPP-1
The Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan Taalaibek Ibraev announced the imminent start of the active phase of construction of the Kambar-Ata HPP-1. The statement was made on October 31 during a meeting of the board of the department, where the results of the work for the first nine months of 2023 were summed up. This project will be the largest in the country’s hydropower sector since independence.
According to the head of the Ministry of Energy, the key preparatory stages have already been completed. In particular, the development of a feasibility study has been completed and the environmental impact of the future facility has been assessed. The design capacity of the hydropower plant will be 1,860 megawatts, which will significantly strengthen the energy security of Kyrgyzstan and the entire Central Asian region.
Currently, further progress of the project depends on the approval of an intergovernmental agreement with partners – Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The document is under consideration in these countries. Taalaibek Ibrayev expressed hope that the start of construction work will be given next year. “Therefore, rapid construction will soon begin at the Kambar-Ata HPP-1. More than two or three thousand people will work there,” the minister said.
The head of the department also announced the estimated time frame for the implementation of the project, which is estimated at seven to eight years. “I think we should complete it in about seven to eight years,” Ibrayev explained. For comparison, he gave an example of the construction of the Rogun HPP in Tajikistan, the design capacity of which is 3,600 megawatts, and the construction period may exceed two decades.
According to the head of the Ministry of Energy, more than ten organizations have shown interest in the Kambar-Ata HPP-1 project. In particular, negotiations were held in Brussels with representatives of such structures as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, as well as the Italian Foundation and the Rothschild Foundation. The total amount that donors are willing to consider for financing turned out to be significantly higher than required for the construction of the hydroelectric power station itself.
The Minister said that the immediate needs of Kyrgyzstan for the construction of hydropower plants are estimated at $ 1.5 billion. This amount, according to his statement, has actually been secured by preliminary agreements. Memoranda of understanding were signed with three key partners: the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank. Each of these organizations expressed readiness to allocate $ 500 million.
Excess funds from the general financial pool are planned to be directed to the implementation of related infrastructure projects necessary for the full-fledged operation of the Kambar-Ata HPP. First of all, we are talking about the construction of high-voltage power transmission lines with a voltage of 500 kilovolts, which will ensure the integration of the station into the power system. Taalaibek Ibrayev added that now the republic will have detailed negotiations with each donor to work out the most favorable credit conditions, but the main thing, according to him, is the confirmed desire of international partners to participate in this strategic project.
Original (in Russian): Министр анонсировал «бурную стройку» Камбаратинской ГЭС-1
