BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 7. Renewable energy, in the form of large hydropower, dominates the power sector of Kyrgyzstan, Trend reports citing the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report: "Renewables Readiness Assessment Kyrgyzstan" for December 2022.
IRENA noted that while some of its hydropower resources have been utilized, those for other renewables such as solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and bioenergy remain largely untapped.
"Electricity generation is driven by large hydropower, which accounts for 92 percent of the total production. The large hydropower fleet, which consists of seven large dam hydropower plants ranging from 40 MW to 1 200 MW, accounts for most of this generation. Almost all of these dams are located on the Naryn river. Small hydropower constitutes below 1.5 percent of total electricity generation. These small power plants are located on the Alamedin, Chuy and other small rivers," the message said.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, developing small hydropower plants is one of the Kyrgyz government’s top priorities due to the potential to cut down emissions as well as fuel imports.
Touching upon issues of solar energy in Kyrgyzstan, IRENA underlined that as of now, there are no large solar power plants in Kyrgyzstan.
"Solar panels are used mainly in small enterprises and households. Zoning for solar PV and wind should be prioritized. IRENA’s preliminary assessment of solar PV resources in the country shows that more than 3 645 km2 of the area in the country has good suitability for solar PV. The assessment reveals that the most suitable solar PV zones are clustered in the southern region of Osh along the river Kyzyl-Suu," IRENA said.
In 2022, Kyrgyzstan has announced that in the village of Toru-Aygyr (Issyk-Kul region) the construction of the first large solar power plant has started. According to the preliminary data, the cost of the project is estimated at $300 million, and the capacity of the solar power plant will be 300 MW.
At the same time, Kyrgyzstan's wind energy is also at the preliminary stages of deployment – often limited to relatively small applications.
"IRENA’s preliminary assessment indicates promising wind resources. About 94,000 km2 of the territory of Kyrgyzstan is suitable for onshore wind power systems. Suitable areas and zones for wind energy are concentrated in the south of the Osh region along the border with Tajikistan, in the north and south of the Naryn region, and in the south of the Issyk-Kul region. Other such zones are scattered in the western part of the Batken region and in the south of the Chuy region," IRENA noted.