World Bank Backs Trilateral Kambarata Hydropower Project
The government of Kyrgyzstan has secured backing from the World Bank to advance a major regional energy project. First Deputy Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev met with Beatrice Maser, World Bank Executive Director for the Swiss constituency, in Washington to discuss the financing and implementation of the Kambarata HPP-1 construction.
During the meeting, the parties concluded the first round of negotiations on an intergovernmental agreement for the joint construction of the facility. The document regulates the participation of three countries – Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan – in the project. The joint implementation of this initiative will distribute the financial burden and regulate water usage regimes in the Naryn River basin, which sustains the energy systems and agricultural sectors of Central Asian states.
World Bank representatives positively assessed the pace of preparations for construction. Beatrice Maser described the development of Kambarata HPP-1 as a high-priority objective for the financial institution. She welcomed the successful initiation of intergovernmental consultations and confirmed her readiness to represent the interests of the republic before the bank’s board of directors during further investment discussions.
The projected installed capacity of Kambarata HPP-1 is 1,860 megawatts, with an expected average annual electricity output of 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours. Reaching these targets will increase overall power generation in Kyrgyzstan by approximately one-third. The dam will be located on the Naryn River, eight kilometers upstream from the existing Kambarata HPP-2 facility. The distance from the new hydroelectric structure to the beginning of the Toktogul Reservoir will be 17 kilometers.
