The governments of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are set to sign an agreement for the construction of the Kambaratinskaya Hydroelectric Power Station (HPP-1) on the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan. The agreement aims to define the terms of cooperation among the parties in implementing the project and its subsequent operation.
According to the document, organizations designated by the Central Asian countries will be guaranteed to purchase all the electricity generated by the Kambaratinskaya HPP-1. Decisions will be made based on consensus, managing the station's operations while ensuring agreed-upon water flow rates.
A joint stock company will be established in Kyrgyzstan to implement the project, with Kyrgyzstan holding a 34% share, Kazakhstan 33%, and Uzbekistan 33%. The founders of the company will be determined independently by each party, with shares remaining unchanged and not open for merging, transferring, or selling.
The project will be financed by the founders' own funds, as well as loans and grants from international financial institutions and banks. The project's implementation period will be determined after the technical and economic feasibility study is finalized and approved.
Upon completion, the shares and assets of the Kambaratinskaya HPP-1 will fully belong to Kyrgyzstan. The signing of the agreement is scheduled to take place in Bishkek.
In January 2023, the Energy Ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan signed a roadmap for the construction of the Kambaratinskaya HPP-1 in Bishkek. The future HPP will have a capacity of 1860 MW, with a reservoir volume of 5.4 billion cubic meters and a dam height of 256 meters. The station is expected to produce an average of 5.6 billion kWh of electricity annually. The construction of the HPP is estimated to take 10 years, with the first hydro unit planned to be operational in four years.
In March 2021, during the visit of the President of Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan, the countries signed an agreement for the joint preparation of the investment project "Construction of Kambaratinskaya HPP-1" and a protocol for mutual electricity supply. President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, initiated the construction of the Kambaratinskaya HPP-1 in June 2022, allocating around $20 million for the initial project works. According to the project's feasibility study developed by a consortium of Canadian SNC-Lavalin International Inc. and Russian "Southern Power Engineering Center," the construction of the HPP was estimated at $2.9 billion in 2014 prices. However, on April 13, the Kyrgyzstan President stated that the project costs would amount to $5-6 billion, with a payback period of 13-15 years.
