Hydropower is one of the main directions of development of Kyrgyzstan. This potential of the republic is enormous, but it has not been fully exploited. The new authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic are making every effort to make the country work as a single mechanism.
It is worth mentioning that acting President of Kyrgyzstan, Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh Talant Mamytov, as part of his working trip to the country’s Jalal-Abad Oblast, got acquainted with the project to commission the second block of the Kambar-Ata HPP-2 (Hydropower plant).
Acting head of state was informed that the main source of electricity in Kyrgyzstan is the Naryn River, where the following hydroelectric power plants are located - Toktogul, Kurpsay, Tash-Kumyr, Shamaldy-Sai, Uch-Korgon and Kambar-Ata-2.
The total design capacity of the Kambar-Ata HPP-2 is 360 MW (three blocks at 120 MW each). Currently, the first 120 MW unit is operating here, which was officially commissioned on Aug. 30, 2010.
As a result of the search for investments to launch the second hydroelectric unit, an agreement was reached with the Eurasian Development Bank to attract soft loans from the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development.
Hydraulic engineer Alexander Tonkikh told Kabar Agency that the development of the hydropower sector should become the most important area of work for the Kyrgyz authorities in the coming years.
“For many years of independent Kyrgyzstan, this industry worked, to some extent on "autopilot". For a long time, the main hydroelectric power plants of the Kyrgyz Republic were not given due attention. It was necessary to carry out annual technical work to modernize the main units. In the last two years, everything has begun to change in this direction. I would like to note that in total, as part of the rehabilitation of the Toktogul HPP, all 4 transformers, 4 VL-500 cable lines were replaced, the ORU-500 was modernized, and work began on replacing the Toktogul HPP hydroelectric units. The new authorities have become active in all directions. The hydropower industry has become a vanguard of discussions and solutions to complex problems that have accumulated, and which were very poorly solved before. I also want to note that hydropower is an industry where foreign capital can be attracted. This industry can become the main one in the investment aspect. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the current state of all stations and draw up a list of tasks that need to be solved in the coming years. There is a real platform ahead for work towards the development of hydropower potential in Kyrgyzstan."
As for the current situation, the project "Commissioning of the second hydroelectric unit of the Kambar-Ata HPP-2" provides for the commissioning of the second hydroelectric unit of the station with a capacity of 120 MW, as well as the construction of an open switchgear (OSG) 500 kV. Also, at present, due to the limited transmission capacity of 110 kV transmission lines between Kambar-Ata-2 and Kurpsay HPP, the first block of Kambar-Ata HPP-2 operates with a load of only 80-90 MW out of a possible 120 MW.
After the construction of the 500 kV outdoor switchgear facility, the “closed” capacity of the first unit will be released and an additional increase of about 40 MW will be obtained. As a result of the release, the total capacity of the Kambar-Ata HPP-2 will be 240 MW, and the generated capacity can be transferred to the Datka-Kemin line.
Acting president inspected the dam and machine shop, and also got acquainted with information on the activities and progress of construction work at Kambar-Ata-2. Mamytov noted the need for the earliest possible commissioning of the remaining units in connection with the growth of electricity consumption in the republic.
“The needs of business and the population for electricity are steadily increasing every year, at the same time, we use only one tenth of the available energy resources. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the hydroelectric power station and generate more energy,” Mamytov said.
He assured that the state will provide all possible assistance in the implementation of this major project.
It is vital to do this. The energy security will depend on the development of the hydropower industry.
Further, Talant Mamytov got acquainted with the work and the course of modernization of the Toktogul HPP. In 2016, two accidents occurred at the Toktogul HPP due to the deterioration of equipment, after which modernization work began here in order to eliminate the existing shortcomings.
It was noted that after the completion of the modernization, the capacity of the Toktogul HPP is expected to increase by 20%, thereby opening its "second breath". The energy capacity of Kyrgyzstan will increase by 240 MW, which is comparable to the addition of a new station. For example, the Shamaldy-Sai HPP has a capacity of 240 MW. Thus, the electricity deficit in the country will be reduced. Also, outdated equipment at the Toktogul HPP is being replaced, which is economically feasible, since it is much cheaper to restore old equipment than to build a new station.
Talant Mamytov examined the dam, the turbine room, the central control panel and left an entry in the visitors' book.
“The new political power of Kyrgyzstan is actively trying to solve a heap of accumulated problems. The fact that the political elite paid attention to hydropower indicates that new times are coming. This is trite, you say, but it is a fact, since in previous years this area was left without attention. It must be said that the hydropower potential of Kyrgyzstan has not yet been half developed. I think that in the coming years it is necessary to start attracting investments in this area and start expanding the potential of hydropower in the country. Yes, it should be noted that by that time strategically important tasks had been accomplished, such as the opening of the 500 kV Datka - Kemin power transmission line and the Kemin 500 kV substation. This project was actually able to increase capacity and implement the initial stage of complete energy security. But this is only a small bit of what Kyrgyzstan is still able to do in the future in the field of ensuring security and stability in the energy and hydropower industries,” the expert said.
It is important to note that Talant Mamytov noted that electricity consumption in the country is growing every year, which means that the load on the equipment of the Toktogul HPP is also increasing.
Acting head of state expressed confidence that the technical reconstruction of the Toktogul HPP will increase the reliability of the equipment and strengthen the power security of the station, which in turn increases the stability of the functioning of the entire energy system of the country and ensure sustainable power supply to consumers.
At the same time, Talant Mamytov stressed the need to maintain openness and transparency during the reconstruction.
He especially noted that the Toktogul HPP cascade is the most important strategic facility, generating on average 40% of all electricity in the country, therefore, the development and future of Kyrgyzstan depends on the results of modernization.
At the end of the event, the acting president expressed his satisfaction with the progress of reconstruction work and wished the collective of the plant success in achieving high results.
In the context of a constant rise in prices for fuel and energy resources, difficulties with their supply, with limited monetary and financial capabilities of Kyrgyzstan, only hydropower, which uses continuously renewable water energy, is capable of solving many problems. This industry, taking into account its geographical location should play a major role in the economy of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Kabar News Agency
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