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By Kamila Aliyeva

The volume of electricity generation in Kyrgyzstan for January-November 2017 stood at the level of 13.322 billion kWh, which is 2.671 billion kWh, or 25 percent more than in 2016.

This was stated by the chairman of the board of National Energy Holding JSC, Aibek Kaliev, at a press conference, Kabar reported.

Of them, 92 percent of electricity was generated at the HPP and the rest at the CHP plants, according to the chairman.

“The volume of the Toktogul reservoir for the current day amounted to 17.905 billion cubic meters with a mark of 894.43 meters, which corresponds to the calculated water-energy regime of the power system. In 2016, the volume was 15.988 billion cubic meters,” he said.

Kaliev said that in 2017 dismantling work was completed on the electrical equipment of hydroelectric unit No. 2 of the Toktogul hydro power plant. A new T-2 power transformer was delivered to the site.

He also informed that Kyrgyzstan sells 550 million kWh to Uzbekistan at 2.4 cents per 1 kWh.

“In order to effectively use the Toktogul reservoir in 2018, an agreement for the supply of electricity to Uzbekistan during the period from December 2017 to March 2018 with a total supply volume of up to 550 million kWh, taking into account technical capabilities at a price of 2.4 US cents per 1 kWh, was concluded,” the chairman said.

He noted that delivery began on December 16, 2017. The head of the National Energy Holding informed that the funds received will be used to develop the energy sector.

“The volume of exports will depend on the water and energy situation. As a priority we put the full provision of the country's needs. If there are surpluses, there will be an opportunity to export,” he explained.

Kyrgyzstan is involved in construction of hydro power plants aiming to provide energy security. Lack of electricity remains an extremely important issue.

In 2007, Kyrgyzstan resumed construction of the Kambarata-2 project, abandoned in the 1990s. The first unit of the Kambarata-2 hydroelectric project will allow Kyrgyzstan to produce an additional 500 million to 700 million kilowatt hours per year of electricity.

Kyrgyzstan's ambitions to control the flow of its rivers in order to generate more hydroelectric power are of particular concern to Uzbekistan as it relies on rivers that originate or pass through Kyrgyzstan and its mountainous neighbor, Tajikistan, to irrigate its cotton fields.

The Kambarata project is only the first of several projects planned along the Naryn River, which rises in the Tien Shan Mountains and is dammed at Toktogul, the largest reservoir in Kyrgyzstan, before running on to merge with another river to become the Syr Darya. The power plant has received critique from energy experts who argue that the Kambarata dams are too expensive.

The construction and exploitation of Kambar Ata HPP and the Upper-Naryn cascade will allow Kyrgyzstan to produce about five billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year and cover the growing needs of the population.

However, the implementation of Kyrgyz ambitious project to construct the Upper-Naryn cascade remains questionable due to inability to attract foreign investment.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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