Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan discuss speeding up Kambarata HPP-1 project

TASHKENT. May 28 (Interfax) - The energy ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have held a roundtable in Dubai on the construction of the Kambarata HPP-1 hydropower plant in Kyrgyzstan, the Uzbek Energy Ministry said.

"Specific tasks and deadlines were determined to speed up the Kambarata HPP-1 project, which is a key regional initiative to strengthen energy security and rational use of water resources in Central Asia," it said.

Delegations from the ministries of water management, economy and finance of the three countries, led by the energy ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as representatives of energy companies attended the event. The roundtable was organized with the support of the World Bank with the participation of bank representatives, the press service said.

Officials from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the World Bank agreed on the key principles and stages of the Kambarata HPP-1 hydropower plant project at the end of January this year.

The energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on preparations for building and operating the Kambarata HPP-1 in June 2024.

The project will be carried out by a company in which Kyrgyzstan owns a 34% stake and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan each have 33%. The main sources of financing for the project are the founders' own funds, as well as loans and grants from international financial institutions and commercial banks. In addition, the talks concerned the guaranteed purchase of generated electricity in a volume to be determined by the parties.

Kambarata HHP-1 will have capacity of 1,860 MW, generating 5 billion kWh of electricity annually. The dam is expected to reach 256 meters in height, holding over 5 billion cubic meters of water.

It was reported in May 2024 that the World Bank would provide Kyrgyzstan with additional funding of $13.6 million in technical support for the Kambarata HPP-1 construction project.

Kyrgyz officials have said construction of the power unit should begin before the end of 2025 and be completed in 2028, however not one agreement on financing this project has yet been signed.