Nuclear power stations in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have proposed linking up with hydroelectric power stations in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

The nuclear power stations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, together with the hydropower capacity of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, could form the basis of a unified energy system for Central Asia. This proposal was put forward by Artem Novikov, head of the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund, on 5 August at an off-site session of the ‘Primakov Readings’.

According to him, the joint development of nuclear and hydropower will enable the modernisation of the region’s integrated power system and the gradual formation of a common electricity market.

These sources of generation are capable of complementing one another. Nuclear power stations can provide stable base-load generation, whilst hydroelectric power stations allow production to be increased or reduced more rapidly depending on consumption. Such a model would enable countries to offset seasonal shortfalls through supplies from neighbouring states.

Implementing this will require the modernisation of cross-border power transmission lines, the coordination of power station operating schedules, and uniform rules for electricity trading. In effect, this involves a transition from individual export and import contracts to a common regional energy market.

According to Novikov, one of the largest projects of this kind of cooperation should be the Kambar-Atinskaya HPP-1 in Kyrgyzstan, which is being jointly promoted by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The power station is seen not only as a source of new electricity, but also as a tool for managing the region’s water resources.