BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 14. Trend News Agency presents an overview of the most important events in the energy sector of Kyrgyzstan in 2022.
One of the main accomplishments of Kyrgyzstan's energy sector this year was the start of the construction of the first solar power plant in Kyrgyzstan. Minister of Natural Resources Dinara Kutmanova in July 2022 announced that in the village of Toru-Aygyr (Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan), the work on the construction of the first solar power plant has started.
According to the preliminary data, the cost of the project is estimated at $300 million, and the capacity of the solar power plant will be 300 MW.
Kutmanova underlined that this project is the biggest in the field of solar energy in Central Asia. For comparison, the largest renewable energy projects in the field of solar energy in Uzbekistan have a design capacity of 120 and 100 MW.
Notably, this project is being implemented on the basis of a public-private partnership with the support of Kazakhstan's Green Finance Center and funding from the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).
Construction of new HPP in Kyrgyzstan's Naryn region
The President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new HPP in Kyrgyzstan on October 21, 2022. The head of state laid the foundation stone for the Kulanak HPP in the village of Kulanak in the Naryn region.
According to Japarov, Kulanak HPP's planned capacity will be 100 MW, and after construction and commissioning, it will generate 450 million kWh of electricity per year.
The total cost of the project is $124 million, of which $88 million will be provided as loans by a group of financial institutions, including the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund and the Eurasian Development Bank.
He noted that Kyrgyzstan expects to complete this project in 8 years. Even if we finish in 10 years instead of 8, it will be a big deal.
Accomplishments of CASA-1000 power project in Kyrgyzstan
The Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan at the end of December informed that as part of the implementation of the CASA-1000 project, active work on the construction of power transmission lines is underway in Kyrgyzstan.
To date, within the framework of the CASA-1000 project, construction of access roads to the construction sites for 1217 utility poles (in total 1243 utility poles will be built under this project) has been completed.
To mobilize specialists for the construction of infrastructure facilities in the Batken, Jalal-Abad, and Osh regions, a total of 6 construction bases have been established.
Notably, the $1.2 billion CASA-1000 project will bring 1300 megawatts of seasonal power from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. In total, 455.6 kilometers of power transmission lines will be constructed in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan approves bill on renewable energy sources
President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed the bill "On Renewable Energy Sources" in July 2022.
With the adoption of this law, Kyrgyzstan aims to boost energy production from renewable energy sources (RES), due to the existing shortage of electricity in the country.
Today, in Kyrgyzstan country there is an urgent need of commissioning new capacities, both large and small facilities for energy generation based on renewable energy sources.
In this way, Kyrgyzstan aims to regulate the main principles of the state policy and economic, organizational and legal mechanisms in the field of renewable energy sources.
Kyrgyzstan establishes Green Energy Fund
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Akylbek Japarov signed a decision to establish a Green Energy Fund in November 2022.
The Green Energy Fund is a public institution established to direct funds to finance the design, maintenance, subsidy, repair, reconstruction, construction and development of green energy infrastructure in Kyrgyzstan.
For the purpose of an effective public administration system in the field of green energy, the fund will also promote the development, implementation and production of energy-saving renewable energy technologies in Kyrgyzstan.
In addition, the regulation of the Green Energy Fund under the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and the management scheme of the organization were also approved.
International cooperation: UAE's Masdar renewable energy company establishes co-op with Kyrgyzstan
Masdar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan to explore the development of renewable energy opportunities in the Central Asian nation and support Kyrgyzstan’s clean-energy objectives.
The memorandum was signed between the Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan Doskul Bekmurzaev and the Head of Development and Investment, Central Asia and Russia, at UAE's Masdar Abdulla Zayed in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek in April 2022.
Under this document, Masdar will explore the development of and investment in a range of renewable energy projects, including ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV), floating solar PV and hydropower projects, with a potential capacity of up to 1 gigawatt (GW).
Collaboration with Hungarian company on construction of small HPPs in Kyrgyzstan
Hungarian companies A-Hid and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement on designing small hydroelectric power plants (HPP) in Kyrgyzstan in July this year.
Within the framework of this agreement, studies will be carried out to select the most appropriate site for the construction of small HPPs with further development of a preliminary feasibility study.
According to the head of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Zhaparov, the development and construction of small HPPs are one of Kyrgyzstan's priority areas, which will help to create conditions for ensuring the energy independence of the country.
Notably, A-Hid is involved in the design of infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, trains, and as well as energy facilities.
Kyrgyzstan establishes co-op with France's largest energy company
The Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan and the largest state-owned energy generating company in France - Electricite de France signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2022.
The purpose of signing this document is to determine the conditions under which the parties can reach an agreement on the implementation of projects in the field of hydropower and renewable energy sources.
As part of this cooperation, the parties will consider the possibility of developing projects for the construction of hydroelectric power plants, distribution networks and smart grids.
In addition, the possibility of compiling a roadmap for the energy sector of Kyrgyzstan will be explored.
Notably, the French Electricite de France operates 59 nuclear power units, providing electricity to 25 million homes across the country.
Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye intend to develop co-op in field of "clean energy"
The Climate Finance Center (CFC) under the Ministry of Natural Resources of Kyrgyzstan reported that during the meeting on August 25, CFC's Director Dastan Abdyldaev and Chairman of the Turkish Energy Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (ENSIA) Alper Kalayci agreed to continue consultations and development of innovative projects for the promotion of clean energy and technologies in Kyrgyzstan.
As reported, Kalayci announced readiness to share Türkiye's 25 years of experience with Kyrgyzstan, highlighting the positive growth trend of ENSIA in the renewable and clean energy sector.
Remarkably, ENSIA has 82 corporate members, which are considered among the best companies in Türkiye in the field of renewable and clean energy.
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According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Kyrgyzstan has considerable and diverse renewable energy resources. The agency notes that despite the fact that Kyrgyzstan is actively using the country's hydropower resources, other renewable sources, such as solar, wind energy and bioenergy, remain largely untapped.
IRENA's preliminary assessment of solar photovoltaic (PV) resources in the country indicates that more than 3,645 km2 of the area of Kyrgyzstan has good suitability for solar PV systems and about 94,000 km2 of the territory of Kyrgyzstan is suitable for onshore wind power systems.