Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have signed a Cooperation Agreement for the construction of the Kambarata Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) on the Naryn River. The document was signed at the International Investment Energy Forum in Vienna.
According to ORDA, following the negotiations, the parties established a coordinating donor committee for the Kambarata HPP-1 project. It includes the World Bank, the OPEC Fund, the Asian Development Bank and other financial organisations.
It became known as early as April this year that our country would participate in the project for the joint operation of the HPP on the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan. Under the terms of the agreement, Kazakhstan is to receive 33% of the shares of the HPP under construction.
It is reported that construction of the HPP on the Naryn River began as far back as the 1980s. Since then, the project has been frozen and attempts have been made to revive it several times. In 2022, with the support of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan began building the HPP again. Kyrgyz authorities claim that neighbouring countries will benefit from the implementation of this project.
Incidentally, the Naryn River originates in Kyrgyzstan and, merging with the Kara Darya River, forms the Syr Darya, which flows into the Aral Sea. The Syr Darya, in turn, supplies the Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions. The main consumers of river water in these regions are farmers and agricultural workers.
A reduction in water flow due to the possible operation of the future HPP would mean a critical reduction in the volume of irrigation water for irrigated areas in Kazakhstan, which would, in turn, lead to their total decline. Farmers would simply be unable to cultivate many crops. Even now, there is an acute water shortage in southern Kazakhstan, which is why villagers are massively abandoning crops like rice, replacing them with less water-intensive plants. In this case, they could simply be left without water.
As for replenishing the former basin of the long-suffering Aral Sea, which is drying up more and more each year, this is out of the question if the HPP is launched. At the same time, we are leaving aside the hypothetical risks associated with winter water releases, which are unavoidable in some cases. This could lead to serious flooding of Kazakh territory, especially in winter.
We understand the importance of the energy shortage in southern Kazakhstan, but even taking this into account, we want to remind you of the irreplaceable nature of water resources for our country's economy. If we miss the chance to influence the situation in the future today, it may already be too late tomorrow.