Kambarata-1 Dam
| Kambar-Ata Dam | |
|---|---|
Kambar-Ata Dam Location of Kambar-Ata Dam in Kyrgyzstan | |
| Official name | Камбар-Ата 1 ГЭСи |
| Country | Kyrgyzstan |
| Coordinates | 41°46′17″N 73°26′10″E / 41.77139°N 73.43611°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | 8 June 2022 |
| Opening date | First unit planned 2028 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Naryn River |
| Height | 256 m (840 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 4,560,000 dam3 (3,696,852 acre⋅ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator | Electric Stations Open Joint Stock Company |
| Turbines | 4 |
| Installed capacity | 1,860 MW [1] |
| Annual generation | 5640 GWh[2] |
The Kambar-Ata Hydroelectric Power Plant (also known as Kambar-Ata 1 HPP) is a major hydroelectric dam under construction on the Naryn River in central Kyrgyzstan. When completed, it will be the largest facility in the Kambar-Ata cascade and one of the largest hydroelectric projects in Central Asia.
Construction and financing
Preparatory works — including tunnel completion, road and bridge construction, build‑out of 110 kV and 110/6 kV substations, and a workers’ camp — progressed through late 2024 and into 2025, with technical and environmental studies underway. The dam’s technical-economic feasibility study recommends roller‑compacted concrete construction.[3]
Total project cost is estimated at $3.5–6 billion. Kyrgyzstan has allocated over $46 million for preparatory works; additional funding includes a $18.6 million World Bank grant and $13.6 million in IDA financing. A trilateral joint venture between Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan has been signed, with a Coordination Donor Committee including the World Bank, ADB, EBRD, IDA, OPEC Fund, AIIB, and others. An intergovernmental roadmap was agreed in January 2025.[4]
Reception and outlook
The first attempt to build a dam at this site was in 1986, but construction stopped due to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
On January 6, 2023, the energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a roadmap for the project.[5]
See also
- Kambar-Ata-2 Hydroelectric Power Station – built downstream
References
- ^ "Камбаратинская ГЭС-1. Проект исключительной смелости | Блог РусГидро". Archived from the original on 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
- ^ "Carbon Monitoring for Action". Archived from the original on 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
- ^ "Construction of the Kambar-Ata-1 Hydropower Plant Progresses as Scheduled on Akchabar". Akchabar. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Coordinating Donor Committee to oversee construction of Kambar-Ata-1 HPP in Kyrgyzstan". centralasianlight.org. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ^ "Узбекистан, Кыргызстан и Казахстан подписали "дорожную карту" по Камбаратинской ГЭС-1". Газета.uz (in Russian). 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-01-08.