Kazakhstan, together with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, plans to move into the practical construction phase of the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant project, according to Jamshid Khodjaev, Uzbekistan’s deputy prime minister.
Read also: Kazakhstan to fund massive Kyrgyz dam for energy security.
Khodjaev said the 1,860-megawatt Kambarata-1 HPP is expected to become the largest power plant in Central Asia and help supply electricity across the region.
Regional energy and water cooperation
Construction is set to take place on the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan.
«Currently, Kazakhstan supplies electricity to Kyrgyzstan so that it generates less electricity in winter and stores water in the Toktogul Reservoir,» Khodjaev said.
«That water is then released to Kazakhstan during the summer irrigation season for the southern regions, as well as to Uzbekistan,» he added.
Khodjaev emphasized that the project is important not only for electricity generation, but also for maintaining the long-term water and energy balance across Central Asia.
Read also: Why Tajikistan’s 1,300 lost glaciers matter to 80 million people.
Sadyr Japarov, president of Kyrgyzstan, officially launched construction of the Kambarata-1 HPP on June 8, 2022.
Approximately $20 million has been allocated for the project’s initial phase. Construction is expected to take about 10 years, although the first generating unit is scheduled to be commissioned within four years.
