EBRD announces €13.8m funding for Kyrgyz hydropower modernisation

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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced funding to help the Kyrgyz Republic modernise its Levedinovskaya hydropower plant. 

Chakan GES, the Kyrgyz Republic’s state-owned hydropower operator, has nine small hydro power plants and will receive a financial package of €13.8m in loans and grants to help finance the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Lebedinovskaya power plant, which has an installed capacity of 7.6MW.

The Lebedinovskaya plant was commissioned in 1943 and provides power to Bishkek, but its equipment is old, inefficient and urgently in need of replacement. The proposed improvements in productivity will help increase its annual electricity output by 56%, bringing it to 50,300MWh. New efficiency and safety measures will also help it improve its resilience to climate change and adapt to changing water flow levels.

The project is part of wider efforts to help the Kyrgyz Republic to plan its green transition while also promoting the sustainable use of water, which is important in a country badly affected by climate change. 

Technical cooperation funding from Austria under the High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action will complement the bank’s investment and support to Chakan GES in the management and implementation of the rehabilitation project.