President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, in another interview with Kabar state news agency, commented on the current situation in the energy sector of Kyrgyzstan and the blackouts that have been reported recently.
He told about the reasons for the restrictions on electricity consumption.
«The first unit of Toktogul hydroelectric power station was put into operation in 1975. In other words, it has been running for almost 50 years. There has never been a major renovation. Therefore, we can say that the unit has become unusable. Its warranty period is 30 years. And we have been using it continuously and uninterruptedly for 50 years. Therefore, from March 5, we stopped the first hydraulic unit of Toktogul hydroelectric power station for reconstruction. If we complete the repairs before winter, we will add 60 megawatts of power,» the head of state noted.
The second and fourth units, according to him, were repaired in 2022-2023. The third unit will be renovated next year.
Thus, the Toktogul hydroelectric power station will work 40-50 more years. 240 megawatts of additional power will be added thanks to the repairs.
Sadyr Japarov
«The Uch-Korgon hydroelectric power station has also never been repaired since it was put into operation in 1962. The equipment and hydraulic structures of the hydroelectric power station are outdated and practically unusable. In this regard, the modernization of Uch-Korgon hydroelectric station is very important. From March 5, we took its fourth unit out of service for reconstruction,» he added.
The President emphasized that due to repair work, the current capacity of power plants will be reduced by 290 megawatt-hours. Because of this, there will be a deficit in the energy system and it will be necessary to introduce temporary restrictions on the use of electricity for consumers.
Electricity consumption will be limited during morning and evening peak load hours.
«These works should be understood as preparation for the upcoming autumn-winter season. If work is carried out with disconnection of an electrical facility, the public will be informed in advance through social networks and the media,» Sadyr Japarov said.
He recalled that not a single additional hydroelectric power station was built in Kyrgyzstan for 30 years, while the population has doubled. The need for energy, as the head of state indicated, is growing every year. Houses, schools, kindergartens and other social infrastructure facilities are being built. All of them require additional electrical power.
«In winter, we import 3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from neighboring countries. Standing at the source of water and importing electricity is a shame. We should have thought about this 30 years ago. At least, if we had built hydroelectric power stations with a capacity of 50 megawatts per year, such a problem would not have arisen today,» Sadyr Japarov said.
Within two years, according to him, more than 50 medium and small hydroelectric power stations have been built in the republic. About ten were put into operation. The rest are planned to be put into operation in 2025-2026.
In addition, the president announced that Bala-Saruu hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 25 megawatts will be launched at the end of March. It will provide Talas region with electricity.
