During his visit to Manila, the Minister of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic, Taalaibek Ibraev, presented the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with an ambitious plan for the rehabilitation of the Kurpsai hydroelectric power station, the second most powerful hydropower facility in the country. This initiative is a key step in the republic’s strategy to increase generating capacity and ensure stable energy supply.
Negotiations with senior ADB officials, including the Director General of the Department for Central and Western Asia, Evgeniy Zhukov, and other leaders, laid the foundation for potential cooperation. The proposed modernization project for the Kurpsai hydroelectric power station provides for the renewal of four hydraulic units. It is expected that this will increase the capacity of each of them by 20%, which in total will give an increase of 160 MW. Thus, the total installed capacity of the station can increase from the current 800 MW to 960 MW, significantly strengthening the energy potential of Kyrgyzstan. Located on the Naryn River, the Kurpsai hydroelectric power station plays an important role in the national energy system, second in power only to the Toktogul hydroelectric power station. The issue of financing this large-scale project will be considered by the bank after the completion of the feasibility study.
In parallel, Kyrgyzstan is making good progress in implementing other vital energy projects. Three modernized hydraulic units have already been put into operation at the Toktogul hydroelectric power station, and the launch of the fourth is planned before the end of 2025, which will add 240 MW of power to the system. Work is also underway at the Uch-Kurgan hydroelectric power station: one hydraulic unit is already operational, the second will be launched before the end of 2025, providing an increase of 36 MW. Considering the existing electricity shortage in the country, the possibility of accelerated rehabilitation of two more units of this station, starting in the spring of 2026, is being discussed.
An important step towards increasing the efficiency and transparency of the energy sector will be the modernization of the energy accounting data management system MDM (Meter Data Management) of OJSC «Kyrgyz Energy Settlement Center». Minister Ibraev appealed to the ADB with a request to allocate a grant in the amount of 940.8 thousand US dollars for these purposes. The MDM system will optimize the analysis of electricity generation and consumption, control balance and losses, and quickly identify deviations and failures. As a result of the negotiations, an agreement was reached on the allocation of the requested grant.
In addition, Kyrgyzstan and ADB intend to develop cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources. A pilot project to expand a solar power plant on the territory of HPP-5, owned by OJSC «Chakan HPP», was discussed. After the successful implementation of a pilot solar installation with a capacity of 100 kW, it is planned to cover the entire surface of the reservoir with photovoltaic panels, which will increase the installed capacity to 15 MW. The Kyrgyz side called on ADB to speed up the implementation of this innovative project, and the bank confirmed its readiness to fully implement the project to install a floating solar station at HPP-5.
In addition to increasing generating capacity, the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan expressed its readiness for dialogue with ADB on projects for the construction and modernization of network infrastructure. We are talking about power lines with voltages of 110, 220 and 500 kV, which are critical for the reliable transmission of increased volumes of electricity. If there is interest from ADB, the Kyrgyz side will provide a detailed list of potential projects aimed at strengthening the national energy system.
