The Toktogul hydroelectric power plant (HPP), with an installed capacity of 1.2 GW, is the largest in Kyrgyzstan. Courtesy of Heinerbischkek
By AFP - Agence France Presse
Kyrgyzstan warns that energy supply is at risk as demand hits record high
Kyrgyzstan urged residents to use less electricity on Friday, warning that its power grid is struggling under the weight of record winter demand.
The Ministry of Energy warned that unless people reduce their electricity use, there will be “interruptions” to the power supply, without going into detail, and that hydropower production is at risk.
The whole of Central Asia is facing energy shortages, partly due to aging infrastructure but also due to water shortages that reduce electricity production at hydroelectric plants.
“Electricity consumption in Kyrgyzstan reached a record level on December 11 and 12. Due to the arrival of winter and the drop in temperatures, the population is using more electricity than usual,” the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy said in a statement.
The mountainous, landlocked country gets around 90% of its electricity from hydropower, which makes it especially vulnerable to water shortages.
Kyrgyzstan's largest hydroelectric plant is in the central city of Toktogul. This facility alone supplies around 40% of the country's electricity.
“If electricity consumption continues at this rate, the volume of water (in the Toktogul reservoir) could fall to around six billion cubic meters before the end of the winter season,” the ministry warned.
This could result in the reservoir not having enough water to produce the required level of energy, threatening power cuts that could be debilitating for the Central Asian country's economy.
As demand increases, hydroelectric plants can adjust the flow of water accordingly to maintain a stable supply of electricity.
aj-bk-oc/cad/rl
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