On January 27, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Energy Taalaibek Ibrayev, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Energy Sungat Yesimkhanov, and the World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia Tatiana Proskuryakova met in Tashkent to discuss further steps in the construction of the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP) in Kyrgyzstan.
This major regional project is jointly implemented by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
The Kambarata-1 HPP will be constructed on the Naryn River. Once completed, it will become the largest hydropower plant in Kyrgyzstan with a projected capacity of 1,860 megawatts and an average annual generation of 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.
At the meeting, the ministers from the three countries asked the World Bank for assistance in preparing and financing the Kambarata-1 HPP construction project.
Minister Ibrayev emphasized that Kyrgyzstan considers the construction of the Kambarata-1 HPP “the project of the century,” given its enormous potential to strengthen regional cooperation and promote long-term development of the entire Central Asian region. “Today’s roundtable in Tashkent continues a series of meetings that took place in Vienna, Brussels and Washington in 2024. These events help coordinate and accelerate the project implementation, as well as attract the necessary international support,” Ibrayev said.
Currently, Kyrgyzstan, with the World Bank’s technical support, is updating the project’s feasibility study, including an assessment of the technical, economic, financial, environmental, and social components of the project.
Proskuryakova confirmed the World Bank’s readiness to support the governments of the three countries in their efforts to ensure a stable energy future for the region, accelerate economic growth, and improve the quality of life of their citizens. “We will continue to provide technical assistance for the implementation of the Kambarata-1 HPP construction project. Together with other international development partners, we are working to attract financing necessary to implement the project,” she said.
Photo: gov.kg
