Uzbekistan launched the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power stations despite the shortage of water resources in Central Asian countries
New energy capacity will cost the country $434 million.
Growing problems in the hydropower sector of the region, associated with the increasing shortage of water resources in Central Asian countries, did not prevent the launch of the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the Naryn River in the Namangan region of Uzbekistan, reports inbusiness.kz
The total capacity of the new hydroelectric power station will be 228 MW with a planned annual electricity generation volume of about 1 billion kWh. The power plant, being built on the border with neighboring Kyrgyzstan using locally produced technologies and materials, will enable the republic to annually save over 300 million cubic meters of natural gas, providing energy to more than 400 thousand households.
Currently, the total power of electricity generated by hydroelectric power plants in the region exceeds 900 MW, and the commissioning of a new energy infrastructure facility will increase this figure to 1.14 GW.
But the plans of the neighboring country’s leadership may clash with the harsh reality of water shortages in the region, which is already causing power outages in Kyrgyzstan. Let us recall that the low water level in the Toktogul reservoir led to a reduction in electricity production at the largest hydroelectric power station in Kyrgyzstan and to interruptions in the supply of energy to the population of the country.
The main capacities of Kazakhstan’s hydropower are located in the East Kazakhstan region and in the Almaty region. The total potential of hydroelectric power stations in Kazakhstan, according to the Ministry of Energy, is about 170 billion kW/hour, but the technically justified capacity in total reaches 62 billion kW/hour.
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