Tag Archives: hydro

Kyrgyz hydropower station operates at full

JAN. 24 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev told parliament that the Toktogul hydropower station was now operating at full capacity after an outage just before Christmas knocked out a couple of the power generating units , media reported. Toktogul is Kyrgyzstan’s biggest hydropower station and its breakdown forced Kyrgyzstan to buy electricity from neighbouring Kazakhstan.

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(News report from Issue No. 265, published on Jan. 29 2016)

Russia quits Kyrgyz hydropower project

JAN. 20 2016, BISHKEK (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan started the hunt for a new investor for its $2b Kambar-Ata-1 hydropower project, which was supposed to transform the country into a major electricity exporter, after MPs officially voted to cancel a deal with Russia.

At the end of last month, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said that Russia simply didn’t have enough money to finance the project any more. MPs said that they had little choice but to cancel the deal with Russia so that a search for a new investor could begin in earnest.

Dastan Bekeshev, considered a liberal progressive MP, told a Conway Bulletin correspondent that it would be hard to find a new investor at the moment.

“Kyrgyzstan will seek investors, but I am sceptical to this idea because this is an issue of geopolitics and not simply investment from foreign countries,” he said.

The cancellation of the Kambar- Ata-1 project, signed between Kyrgyzstan and Russia in 2008, is a major blow to Kyrgyzstan and one of the biggest casualties of the deepening economic malaise. And, as Mr Bekeshev said, in the current economic climate, it may be difficult for Kyrgyzstan to attract another investor.

China, the most obvious substi- tute, is trying to deal with its own economic slowdown.

Russia’s withdrawal from the Kambar-Ata-1 hydropower project also shows that Russian influence in Central Asia is waning as its economic power dips.

On the streets of Bishkek, opinion was divided on the impact of Russia’s withdrawal from the project.

Aliaskar, 23, said that Russia had promised and failed to build many infrastructure projects in Kyrgyzstan.

“They said they would build gas pipelines and improve infrastructure under the Eurasian economic union, but all these things would be implemented in 50 years from now,” he said.

But Alisher, 24, said the scuppered hydropower project deal wouldn’t damage relations between Kyrgyzstan and Russia. “There are other spheres in the Kyrgyz economy where Russia has positively contributed like importing Russian gas, forgiving debt, providing security in the region and other pillars,” he said.

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(News report from Issue No. 264, published on Jan. 22 2016)

Editorial: Kyrgyzstan’s hydropower troubles

JAN. 22 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – For Kyrgyzstan, hydropower represents a genuine export opportunity. With the World Bank-sponsored CASA-1000 project, is is developing a market alongside Tajikistan for its power in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The problem is that it needs huge capital investment to upgrade and expand upon its mainly Soviet-era hydropower plant network. And the pulling out of Russia from the Kambar-Ata-1 plant represents a real step backwards.

This was the $2b project that would have underscored Kyrgystan’s power exports. Now it needs to find an alternative investor.

Of course, China is always there, ready to help out with infrastructure projects in Central Asia, but its economy has been jittery and it may not fancy taking on such a big project. India has been looking to expand its influence into Central Asia but it has focused on oil and gas projects. That leaves Western financial institutions and, in particular, the World Bank. It has pledged to fund half of the $1.2b CASA-1000 costs. It may now have to help Kyrgyzstan out with Kambar-Ata-1.

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(Editorial from Issue No. 264, published on Jan. 22 2016)

Austria’s ILF signs deal to update Tajik HPP

DUSHANBE, JAN. 10 2016, (The Conway Bulletin) — Austrian company ILF Consulting Engineers signed a contract with Tajik state-owned utilities company Barqi Tojik to provide consulting services to modernise the Kayrakkum hydropower project, a key part of Tajikistan’s plans to become a regional exporter of electricity.

The Soviet-era facilities at the Kayrakkum plant have now reached the end of their lifecycle and the total cost of the modernisation of the plant is estimated at $169m. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will finance around $50m.

Barqi Tojik also intends to increase capacity of the hydropower plant, from 126MW to 174MW, giving an annual total output of 900 GWh.

Tajikistan, which produces around 98% of its electricity from hydropower sources, is trying to improve its power capacity.

It is part of the CASA-1000 project, an ambitious export project to send electricity to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The project is due for completion in 2019 and to fulfil its role of supplier, Tajikistan needs to speed up its modernisation projects. Kyrgyzstan is also involved in the CASA-100 project. Last month, Kyrgyzstan’s biggest hydropower station, Toktogul, broke down.

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(News report from Issue No. 263, published on Jan. 15 2016)

Russia drops Kyrgyz projects

DEC. 24 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said a recession in Russia had hit the Kremlin’s finances so hard that it had pulled out of financing two hydropower projects in Kyrgyzstan. Russia’s economic demise presents an opportunity for China or others to fund infrastructure projects in Central Asia in return for influence. The two projects had been expected to cost $3.2b.

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(News report from Issue No. 262, published on Jan. 8 2016)

Kyrgyzstan’s Toktogul hydropower station breaks down

DEC. 23 2015, BISHKEK (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan’s largest hydropower station, Toktogul, broke down after a power surge knocked out three of its four generators, forcing the government to buy extra electricity from Kazakhstan.

The breakdown at Toktogul is embarrassing for Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atmabayev because three months ago, after the completion of a transmission line linking the power- generating south with the power consuming north, he proclaimed Kyrgyzstan was self sufficient in power. Kyrgyzstan also aims to export power to Pakistan from 2018.

Engineers working on Toktogul, which was built in 1976, said they expected the power plant to be back up and running from mid-January.

In the meantime, Kyrgyzstan announced a deal to buy electricity from neighbouring Kazakhstan to cover the shortfall.

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(News report from Issue No. 262, published on Jan. 8 2016)

Georgia boosts hydropower and talks up united energy market

DEC. 7 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgian Water and Power (GWP) said it has started construction of a new hydropower plant near Tbilisi, part of a broader investment package designed to boost Georgia’s electricity generating capacity.

The Saguramo hydropower plant will cost 10.5m lari ($4.38m) to build and be operational by the end of 2016.

Importantly, it will feed its electricity straight into the Tbilisi power system.

And the timing of the start of construction at the Saguramo 4.4 megawatt plant was pertinent.

Only a couple of days earlier, Georgian energy minister Kakha Kaladze told media that he wanted to see a united energy market in the South Caucasus.

“It is logical to create a common energy network with Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will create a single regional energy market,” media quoted him as saying.

Georgia is deficient in energy and is currently negotiating with Russia to import more gas.

It has unveiled a large hydropower investment plan which at its centre has the much-delayed Nenskra dam in the northwest of Georgia. Nenskra will have a power generating capacity of 280 megawatts and cost $1b to build.

But Mr Kaladze appeared to suggest that he wanted to hedge his bets and develop a pan-South Caucasus energy market that also included Turkey and Russia.

“Taking into account existing and future projects, it is possible to connect the energy system of the South Caucasus and Georgia will be an energy bridge, ensuring the growth of exchange and trading of electricity,” he said.

So far, though, there has been a less than ecstatic response from the rest of the region, unsurprisingly given the fraught nature of most of the neighbours’ relations.

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(News report from Issue No. 260, published on Dec. 11 2015)

Uzbekistan complains over water uses, again

DEC. 10 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan once again formally complained to the OSCE, Europe’s security and democracy watchdog, about plans by Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to build new dams on the upstream river system

The complaint is a reminder of Uzbekistan’s opposition to hydro- power development in Central Asia’s upstream water system.

The Tajik and Kyrgyz governments see building new dams and hydro- power systems as essential for their countries’ development, and specific to meeting new power demands from Pakistan who they will serve through the CASA-1000 project. Uzbekistan sees the hydro- power systems as a threat to its cotton industry and agriculture.

CASA-1000 is the $1b World Bank- backed project for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to generate electricity to export to Pakistan, via Afghanistan. This project hinges on a series of new dams being built in Tajikistan, including the Rogun Dam on the Vakhsh River, part of the wider Amu Darya system.

Relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have become so strained in the past over the issue that at times it has threatened to destabilise the region.

With the final deal on CASA-1000 signed in Istanbul earlier this month, relations between Uzbekistan and its upstream neighbours are likely to become more strained, as this latest complaint appears to forewarn.

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(News report from Issue No. 260, published on Dec. 11 2015)

Tajik and Uzbek authorities hold meeting

DEC. 1 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajikistan and Uzbekistan plan to hold bilateral foreign ministry level talks in Dushanbe for the first time on Dec. 17/18, a step towards improving relations. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been locked in a row over water. Tajikistan wants to build what would be one of the world’s largest hyrdopower dams. Uzbekistan has complained that the dam will reduce water flow to its fields of cotton.

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(News report from Issue No. 259, published on Dec. 4 2015)

Uzbek authorities look power upgrade plan

NOV. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Looking to boost power production to meet rising demand, the Uzbek authorities unveiled a $900m upgrade programme for its hydropower stations. As populations increase and living standards rise, demand for power has risen across Central Asia and the South Caucasus pressuring the authorities into investing in their power generation infrastructure. Earlier this month the Uzbek government announced a privatisation plan that included one of its cement makers.

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(News report from Issue No. 258, published on Nov. 27 2015)