Day: November 19, 2025

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) have launched a new joint initiative aimed at modernizing the country’s irrigation sector. Titled “Developing a Business Ecosystem for Sustainable Irrigation in Kazakhstan,” the project is supported by a $5.3 million grant from the EDB and implemented in partnership with UNDP.

The agreement was signed by Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, UNDP Resident Representative Katarzyna Wawiernia, and EDB Deputy Chairman Ruslan Dalenov.

Boosting Climate Resilience and Water Efficiency

The multi-year initiative focuses on strengthening Kazakhstan’s resilience to climate change by improving irrigation management. Key components include establishing a National Water Resources Information System, deploying forecasting and water distribution tools, creating regional centers for modern irrigation, training specialists, and promoting water-saving technologies nationwide.

Nurzhigitov emphasized that the project aligns with Kazakhstan’s broader strategic goals for climate adaptation and water sector reform.

“For us, participation in this project means achieving strategic goals to modernize the water sector and increase resilience to climate change. We are actively working to attract investment in the water sector, but all strategic decisions are and will be made exclusively in Kazakhstan. Transferring water resources or facilities to foreign countries has never been considered. Our goal is to modernize the water sector to protect the interests of our citizens and ensure security and sustainable development,” he stated.

Expanding Water-Saving Irrigation

Kazakhstan has steadily increased the use of water-efficient irrigation technologies such as drip and sprinkler systems to reduce agricultural water consumption. Since 2024, the government has raised subsidies for farmers adopting these technologies. Reimbursement rates for drilling underground water wells and installing modern systems have increased from 50% to 80%.

As a result, the area equipped with water-saving irrigation expanded from 312,200 hectares in 2023 to 580,000 hectares in 2025, representing 30% of the country’s total irrigated farmland. By 2030, the government aims to extend modern irrigation systems to 1.3 million hectares, covering 70% of all irrigated land in Kazakhstan.

Kyrgyzstan has completed the full modernization of its largest energy facility, the Toktogul Hydropower Plant (HPP), located on the Naryn River. The upgrade was finalized with the commissioning of the plant’s fourth generating unit on November 18, raising its total capacity from 1,200 MW to 1,440 MW, according to Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibraev.

The plant’s first three units were modernized between 2021 and 2024, each increasing in capacity from 300 MW to 360 MW. The fourth and final unit, upgraded between March and November 2025, has now reached the same capacity.

Progress at Uch-Kurgan and Kambarata Projects

On the same day, the Ministry of Energy launched the second upgraded unit at the Uch-Kurgan HPP, which added 9 MW in capacity. The first unit, previously replaced, also contributed an additional 9 MW. Modernization of the remaining two units is scheduled for 2026. Upon completion, Uch-Kurgan’s total capacity will increase by 36 MW.

Kyrgyzstan is also advancing construction of the Kambarata-1 HPP, a strategic regional project being developed in partnership with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Once operational, Kambarata-1 will have a capacity of 1,860 MW and generate 5.6 billion kWh annually.

Energy Challenges Ahead

Despite the modernization progress, Ibraev has warned of a challenging winter ahead due to critically low water levels in the Toktogul Reservoir. Electricity consumption in 2024 reached 18.3 billion kWh, an increase of 1.1 billion kWh over 2023, forcing Kyrgyzstan to import 3.6 billion kWh from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia to cover winter demand.