The Kambar-Ata Dam (also known as Kambar-Ata 1 or Kambaratinsk Dam) is a proposed dam on the

Naryn River The Naryn ( ky, Нарын, uz, Norin) rises in the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, flowing west through the Fergana Valley into Uzbekistan. Here it merges with the Kara Darya (near Namangan) to form the Syr Darya. It is long ...

in central

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

. One of six planned to be built on the river, it will become one of the largest dams in the world at approximately high and containing about 370 million cubic metres (480 million cu yd) of rock and earth. The Kambar-Ati-1 Hydro Power Plant at the base of the dam will have a capacity of around 2,000

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

s. The project will be constructed jointly with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and possibly

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

as well. The dam will be created by using about 440,000 metric tonnes of explosives to blast the canyon walls, causing landslides that will block the Naryn River. This strategy will save time and money over conventional embankment building methods. The hydroelectric power plant, spillway and other associated structures will be completed separately. The first attempt to build a dam at this site was in 1986, but construction stopped due to the collapse of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in 1991. The project was reinstated in 2008 and will be largely funded by US$2 billion in Russian aid, promised in return for "enhanced economic and security cooperation" with Russia. It is hoped that this dam and others on the Naryn will help Kyrgyzstan become a major electricity exporter, helping the country's fragile economy. Test drilling work at the dam site began in August 2013. Downstream

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

opposes the project, as the initial filling of the reservoir, and annual evaporation henceforth, would reduce the flow available in the Syr Darya for irrigation. Power generated by the dam, if exported to southern countries such as

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, could also hurt Uzbekistan's market for electricity export. According to the Uzbek government in

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of 2 ...

, Kambarata-I will also cause water shortages, as well as environmental and economic damage to

, and is being proposed in breach of international law. Experts interviewed by the International Crisis Group have indicated that in spite of Uzbekistan's ire regarding the project, Kambarata-I and other such projects could improve water management in the region since the dams will collect and store water that could later be released for irrigation. However, water specialists have also stated that there is a lack of political will to solve this issue. On January 6, 2023, the energy ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed a roadmap for the project. Preparations for the construction of the hydroelectric power station have already begun: roads, bridges, power lines, construction sites are being built.

References

{{Naryn River dams Hydroelectric power stations in Kyrgyzstan Proposed hydroelectric power stations Dams in Kyrgyzstan Dams on the Naryn River Proposed renewable energy power stations in Kyrgyzstan

See also

References