Kyrgyz Republic Investments

Kyrgyzstan is an inland mountainous country with snow-capped mountains and glaciers, with great variety of landscape, wildlife and vegetation. Many of the country’s mountainous and valley rivers (more than 252) determine its high hydro energy potential at more than 18.000 MW of power and more than 140-160 GWh/year, of which less than 10% is used.

Its specific geographical situation, which gives to the Kyrgyz Republic the altitude and water flow its neighbor countries do not have, made the country the main electricity provider of the area; being also the main provider for the CASA1000 program (http://projects.worldbank.org/P145054?lang=en) a 1.300 MW HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) transmission line project to provide electricity generated in Kyrgyzstan to the neighbor countries of Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, whose lack of water make them unable to produce renewable electricity.

With an estimated cost of US$ 997 million, CASA100 project is developed and financed by the World Bank. Being Kyrgyzstan is the main electricity supplier of the project, all electricity produced in the country during the following years will have the guarantee of being exported to CASA1000 grid at a convenient market price. That makes Kyrgyzstan a very interesting place to study potential HPP investments.

Since 2015, Asia Capital Energy Fund team has a local associate partner in Bishkek with local staff and office and has been studying potential HPP projects in the country, one of them a 3 HPP / 19,11 MW cascade plants project in Chon Kemin River- together with ADB and IFC, which is in stand by due to the delay in the new energy law release. Some other HPP’s which are currently operating are included in our short list. Acquisition negotiations are planned to start once the ACEF is operative and the new energy law released (currently pending presidential endorsement).



AsiaCapital partners in the Bishkek office