JALAL-ABAD PROVINCE, KYRGYZ REPUBLIC (18 October 2019) — The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Sooronbai Jeenbekov, accompanied by Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director Ms. Candice McDeigan and the Chairman of the Energy Holding Mr. Aitmamat Nazarov, visited the Toktogul Hydropower Plant (HPP) today to inspect the progress of rehabilitation work on the country’s largest and most important power plant.
The Toktogul HPP, in service since 1975, has an installed capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW) and produces 40% of the country’s electricity. The plant has had an increasing number of failures in recent years because of the aging state of its equipment. With financing support from ADB, the plant is being rehabilitated and upgraded to increase its capacity to 1,440 MW.
“Given the increasing demand for power in the Kyrgyz Republic, the rehabilitation, replacement, and augmentation of power sector assets are critical for energy security in the country,” said Ms. McDeigan. “Once fully rehabilitated, Toktogul HPP will operate for an additional 35 years and contribute to a more reliable domestic and regional supply.”
ADB has provided a total of $275 million in financing for the project since 2012. The first phase, approved in 2012, financed the rehabilitation of the secondary electrical equipment. The second and third phase, approved in 2015 and 2016, respectively, will finance the replacement of the four turbine-generator units, the refurbishment of the civil structures of Toktogul dam, and an overhaul of the dam’s monitoring systems along the Naryn cascade. The Eurasian Development Bank also provided cofinancing support for phases 2 and 3. The work is expected to be completed by 2023.
Due to efficient project management, $100 million in savings has already been realized during the project implementation so far, which will be put towards the rehabilitation of the Uch-Kurgan HPP, a separate dam that is downstream from Toktogul.
The Kyrgyz Republic joined ADB in 1994 and the bank has since approved 44 loans ($1.2 billion) and 40 grants ($662 million) from the Asian Development Fund, as well as six grants ($7.5 million) from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction. ADB has also financed 104 technical assistance projects ($60.2 million).
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
