Akylbek Japarov lays capsule at construction site of small Papan HPS

The Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan is on a working visit to Osh region. Akylbek Japarov laid a capsule at the construction site of a small Papan hydropower station (HPS).

«We are building a hydropower station on Ak-Buura River, which supplies water to Osh, located at the foot of the sacred Sulaiman-Too mountain. The very name of this river speaks of its strength. Our people have long known that the strongest, most powerful animal is the camel. And the strongest among camels was the buura. This river, like the buura, seethed and raged, which inspired our great poet Aaly Tokombaev to write poetry. This animal is also mentioned in the works of Chingiz Aitmatov. Now we want to convert all this power into electricity to ensure the prosperous life for our people. This is our goal,» he said.

The head of the Cabinet noted that in recent years the state has been paying great attention to the development of power industry. This year, Bala-Saruu and Kainama hydropower plants have been commissioned. The small hydropower plant with a capacity of 25 megawatts, which is being built on Papan reservoir, is capable of producing an average of 103 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. The investment amount is $27 million.

«Construction of the small hydropower plant on Papan reservoir is another strategic step towards the energy independence of our country,» Akylbek Japarov summed up.

Papan reservoir, where the small hydropower plant is being built, is located in Papan gorge, in the narrowest part of Ak-Buura River valley, not far from Kathar massif. Its construction began in 1979 and was completed in 1985.