BISHKEK. Jan 25 (Interfax) - Kyrgyzstan is set to begin construction of Kambarata Hydropower Plant No. 1 in 2022, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov said at a press briefing on Tuesday in connection with a failure of the unified power grid of Central Asia.
"We are planning to begin construction of Kambarata Hydropower Plant No. 1 this year," Japarov said.
Kyrgyz electric companies were ready for a possible blackout and would now seek to increase the domestic power generation capacity in order to avoid similar incidents in the future, he said.
"We have an operating margin. Hopefully, the Toktogul water reservoir will be filled by April 1 and phase I construction of Kambarata HPP No.1 will begin. An investment of $18.8 million is envisaged for launching the plant. The overall cost of Phase I of the project is estimated at $486 million," Japarov said.
There is a feasibility study of the project, but it needs an update, he said.
"The money will come from the budget and investors. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have expressed their wish to participate in the project. A political decision will be made at the level of heads of state," Japarov said.
Back in January 2016, Kyrgyzstan denounced the agreements it signed with Russia in September 2012 to build and operate the Upper Naryn cascade of hydropower plants and Kambarata HPP No. 1. Back then, the Kyrgyz government said that a reason for denouncing the agreements with Russia was the absence of funding and a steep increase in the cost of a loan that could be granted for building the hydropower plant. The agreements were terminated on August 9, 2016.
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