Uzbekistan has announced its readiness to move forward with the practical implementation of the Kambarata HPP-1 project

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan are ready to move forward with the practical implementation of the Kambarata HPP-1 project. This was reported by Neftegaz.ru, citing Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojaev.

According to Khojaev, the future hydroelectric power plant, with a capacity of 1,860 MW, will become the largest power plant in Central Asia and will play a key role in supplying electricity to several countries in the region.

The Kambarata HPP-1 is set to become the upper stage of the Naryn-Syr Darya cascade of hydroelectric power plants. The project involves the construction of four hydroelectric units, each with a capacity of 465 MW. The expected annual electricity generation will be 5.6 billion kWh.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan separately emphasized the project’s importance for the regional water balance. Under the current arrangement, Kazakhstan supplies electricity to Kyrgyzstan in the winter, which reduces the amount of water released from the Toktogul Reservoir. In the summer, the accumulated water is used to irrigate farmland in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. According to him, the Kambarat-1 HPP is intended to strengthen and systematize this mechanism.

As a reminder, in January 2023, the energy ministries of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan signed a joint work plan for the project. Under the agreements reached, Kyrgyzstan received a 34% stake in the joint venture, while Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan each received 33%.

International institutions, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Islamic Development Bank, are involved in financing and coordinating the project.

The latest announced cost of the project is approximately $3.6 billion, which the participating countries plan to recoup within a maximum of 15 years.