Kyrgyzstan plans to commission 13 small hydropower plants in 2026 as part of an effort to meet rising domestic electricity demand. The energy ministry said the new facilities will have a combined capacity of 81.03 megawatts and are expected to generate approximately 348.3 million kilowatt-hours annually. These projects aim to reduce the country’s reliance on electricity imports from neighboring states, which has historically created energy security challenges during periods of high consumption.
The planned developments are distributed across several provinces to decentralize the power supply. The Orto-Tokoy plant in the Issyk-Kul region will be the largest addition with a capacity of 21 megawatts. Other significant projects include the 9.5 megawatt Sokuluk-3 facility in the Chuy region and the nine megawatt Tyup plant. Smaller installations are also scheduled for the Osh, Batken, Naryn, Talas, and Jalal-Abad regions to ensure a broader geographic distribution of power generation.
This expansion follows a period of increased activity in the small-scale hydropower sector. Between 2021 and 2025, Kyrgyzstan commissioned 27 small plants with a total capacity of 109.8 megawatts (contributing about 427 million kilowatt-hours per year). The government intends to accelerate this pace in the coming years. Officials have identified 48 additional small hydropower projects with a total capacity of 421.26 megawatts for the period between 2026 and 2030.
