Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan to collaborate on $3 billion hydroelectric power project

The meeting also included representatives from China’s CEEC construction company and Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Energy, Kamal Abbasov. In addition to the Chatkal River project, the ministers reviewed the progress of the Kambarata-1 Hydroelectric Power Plant, which is being built on the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan. Discussions also covered the coordination of the water and energy balance between the countries involved.

At the end of the meeting, it was proposed to establish regular meetings of working groups from the three countries and to sign a "roadmap" for implementing the projects.

The foundation for this cooperation was laid in March 2021, during Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s visit to Uzbekistan, where an agreement was signed to prepare an investment project for the construction of the Kambarata-1 HPP. In January 2023, the heads of energy departments from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan signed a roadmap for the implementation of the Naryn River HPP project.

The project’s estimated cost is nearly $3 billion. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan plan to purchase surplus electricity generated by the plant beyond Kyrgyzstan’s domestic needs.