Kyrgyzstan has put into operation the first phase of a new solar power plant, ROX Issyk-Kul, located in the village of Kyzyl-Oruk in the Issyk-Kul region.
The facility has been constructed by Vietnam’s ROX Group, with the investment in the 175-megawatt first phase totaling $131 million.
All phases of this solar power plant will have a total capacity of 1,900 MW and total investments are planned at approximately $1.5 billion.
The launch ceremony on June 14 was attended by President Sadyr Japarov, who emphasized that in recent years, Kyrgyzstan has been paying special attention to the development of a green economy and the widespread use of renewable energy sources.
“The plant is already connected to the country’s energy system and has already supplied 28.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity to the grid. It is expected that once the first phase reaches full capacity, annual generation will amount to approximately 295 million kilowatt-hours of electricity,” the president said. He emphasized the plant’s ability to accumulate generated electricity and feed it into the grid when needed as the key feature of this project.
“This solar power plant is of particular importance for Kyrgyzstan. It will contribute to the modernization of the energy sector, the diversification of energy sources, and a reduction in dependence on hydropower. It is especially important that, with water resources dwindling, the development of solar energy is becoming a key factor in ensuring energy sustainability,” Japarov said.
He noted that the new plant will allow annually saving up to 362 million cubic meters of water in the reservoir of the Toktogul hydropower plant, the largest in Kyrgyzstan and accounting for about 40% of the country’s electricity generation. Once all phases of the solar power plant reach their full design capacity of 1,900 MW (273 million kWh per month), annual water savings in the Toktogul reservoir could reach 3.9 billion cubic meters.
Japarov also noted that ROX Issyk-Kul is a good example of investment cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam.
He added that the Vietnamese company will contribute to the development of the Issyk-Kul region. In addition to the land tax, ROX Group will transfer 1 percent of the revenue received from the sale of generated electricity to local budgets of the villages of Toru-Aygyr and Tamchy.
Photo: president.kg
