Ernest Karybekov, an energy specialist, discussed current issues of the heating season in Kyrgyzstan in an interview with IA "Kabar," paying special attention to the condition of the Toktogul Reservoir. According to him, the water level in this reservoir in the middle of winter turned out to be lower than last year. The expert also outlined solutions to problems in the energy sector.
- As of October 1, 2025, when the heating season began, the volume of water in the reservoir was 1.8 billion cubic meters less than in the same period of the previous year. However, thanks to the warm first half of winter, this difference has reduced to 1.6 billion cubic meters. As of January 15, water consumption was 200 million cubic meters less than last year due to favorable weather conditions.
If such weather continues until the end of the heating season, which will last until April 1, we will be able to get through the winter without serious problems. Even in the case of worsening weather, we will have about 6.5-6.8 billion cubic meters left, which is significantly above the critical level of 5.5 billion cubic meters.
Although we may need to implement certain conservation measures, this is preferable to facing emergency situations.
- Can we count on the help of partners by significantly increasing electricity imports? How critical is the decrease in the level of the Toktogul Reservoir?
- We are maximizing the opportunities provided by our neighbors — the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, based on bilateral agreements. The networks are operating at their limits, and we need to conserve transformers, substations, and power lines, so conservation measures are often justified to maintain the stability of the entire system.
It is worth noting that the Toktogul Reservoir has been operating for over 50 years, and during this time, significant siltation of the bottom has occurred. With low water levels, the wear and tear on the units of the main hydroelectric power station increases. Therefore, if necessary, it is extremely important to maintain the water volume in the country.
- It is known that the period of insufficient precipitation is becoming increasingly prolonged. How can we preserve energy and support economic development under such conditions?
- The construction of a thermal power station in Kara-Keche has been launched. The current administration is striving to make up for lost time. If the previous leaders had addressed this issue, the station would already be operational, the water level in the Toktogul Reservoir would be normal, and there would be no restrictions. As a result, we could have an additional 4-5 billion kilowatt-hours of energy. Time has indeed been lost.
Nevertheless, these mistakes can be corrected. I believe that we should not get too carried away with the trendy idea of green energy, but rather focus on building traditional coal-fired power plants. This is faster and, most importantly, independent of weather conditions.
The station in Kara-Keche will be able to provide the necessary capacity during the winter period. The state will be able to independently mine coal and supply it to the station, allowing us to produce more energy at low costs. The advantage is that such stations are built quickly and are economically viable. This is our way out, and it is important to accelerate this process.
We need to develop our own model of energy and economic development.
