In conditions of constant growth of prices for fuel and energy resources, difficulties in their supply, and limited monetary and financial possibilities of Kyrgyzstan, only hydropower using renewable water energy can solve many problems. This industry, given its geographical location, is a subject matter and should play a major role in the Kyrgyz economy.
The situation is also complicated by the fact that the world has faced an epidemiological crisis. COVID-19 has caused significant damage to the entire world economy, as well as hit the economies of different countries. As we have noted many times, Kyrgyzstan has faced such a serious problem for the first time in its history. If the coronavirus infection has not constrained one of the key sectors of the economy, it will be much more difficult to solve problems in the energy sector.
On top of that, COVID-19 can slow down the pace of solving accumulated problems. They were on the agenda and many of them have already been successfully resolved, but now the vector of public policy may be slightly shifted. This, in turn, may affect the resolution of problems in the energy sector. Of the existing problems, the following should be highlighted: there are still infrastructural problems, namely, unreliability of energy supply and the need for modernization and development of the energy sector. There is also a bad road network and lack of basic infrastructure services at the local level.
Another important problem is the deterioration of power lines, especially in regions that cause large power losses.
As noted by expert and chief power engineer of one of the villages of Chui Oblast Nikolai Fadin, “in order to address this problem, it is necessary to conduct a full-scale replacement of all power lines and transformers. Planned replacement of all necessary equipment will lead to maximization of electricity production, reduce losses to a minimum, and thus increase the efficiency of all power plants in the Kyrgyz Republic.
However, most of the infrastructure facilities in a number of villages in Chui Oblast have been replaced through the presidential program, which is aimed at regional development. For this reason, losses were reduced and it was possible to equalize the voltage in the network.
But head substations and local transformers are still far from ideal, and some of them are failing at all. It is worth paying attention to, but we are now well aware that the country is baffled by another and more important problem. The coronavirus infection has brought its own amendments. There is hope that soon we will all be able to return to the gradual development of all industries.”
Continuing on, it should be noted that Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev held a video conference with energy industry representatives the day before. In particular, he noted that taking all necessary measures in preparation for the autumn-winter period will allow for uninterrupted supply of electricity to the population.
"The population still has recent memory of rotating outages. Now it is possible and necessary to be ready for everything, but it is important for the Government to prevent a return to the practice that created an unfavorable background of civil opinion to the country's leadership at that historic time. Kyrgyzstan has done quite a lot to avoid this in the future. There is enough capacity not to save on ordinary consumers. I think that in the post-Pandemic period the population is already under stress, they will not be able to withstand autumn-winter fan blackouts", the expert stressed.
It is important to note that the PM has signed a decree of the Action Plan for the preparation of economic sectors and population for 2020/2021 autumn-winter period.
Abylgaziev noted despite the ongoing fight against coronavirus infection, preparations for the 2020/2021 autumn-winter period should start promptly.
"Last year's resolution was well implemented. The season passed without any excesses. Due to the warm weather, there were fewer emergency shutdowns, and in addition, we were able to save 4% of the projected water volume at Toktogul HPP. Experts predict a water shortage this year. The volume of water in Toktogul Reservoir will not exceed 15 billion 600 million cubic meters by autumn. This shows that we need to stock up the necessary amount of coal, both imported and local, as well as fuel oil and gas. But I want to say at once that we have solved the issues with the tariff, the price for electricity will not rise and remain at the same level,” Abylgaziev noted.
The head of the Government added that each issue requires careful preparation in order to supply of electricity and heat to the population without interruption.
"We need to know clearly how much electricity the population consumes, depending on the weather conditions. This will also help us in calculating losses and debts. This task is behind the recently established Kyrgyz Energy Settlement Centre. Its mission is to have all data on electricity flows and losses, draw up balance sheets, and perform calculations for all market participants. With all these data taken into account, there is need to effectively use the available resources, while ensuring transparency in the activities of energy companies. Only then, the corruption risks will be reduced to a minimum," the prime minister said, noting this issue is under his personal control.
Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev instructed that all the necessary materials should be prepared for the next meeting, in order to see a real picture of the country's energy sector.
The Kyrgyz energy sector has remained vulnerable so far despite the achievements of recent years. One of its problems is suboptimal production structure. More than 90% of the country's electricity supply comes from the Toktogul and downstream hydropower plants of the Naryn Cascade, which account for 78% of the country's total installed capacity for electricity production. This system makes the energy sector vulnerable to hydrological instability, especially in winter.
The Government of the Kyrgyz Republic will do its utmost to minimize crisis manifestations. In particular, taking into account the proposals and comments, PM Abylgaziev has signed a decision on the Action Plan for the preparation of economic sectors and the population for the 2020/2021 autumn-winter period. The full version of the Government's decision can be found at https://www.gov.kg/ru/npa/s/2427.
Kabar News Agency
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