Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan agree on power supplies

Power supplies from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan were on the agenda at the talks of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev in Minsk, Belarus, on the sidelines of the sitting of the Council of the CIS Heads of State, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing the Press Service of the Kyrgyz President.

At the talks, Almazbek Atambayev briefed his Kazakh counterpart that the Kyrgyz Government would have to buy extra electric power from neighboring countries, including Kazakhstan. “Imported power is more expensive than that produced locally. But I am confident that most residents of Kyrgyzstan would rather pay for imported power rather than stay in the dark, with no amenities or TV”, he said.

Following the talks, the two heads of state commissioned their respective governments to draft documents on power supplies and have the issues finalized during the forthcoming visit of Kyrgyzstan’s PM Dzhoomart Otorbayev to Kazakhstan.

In line with bilateral agreements in place, Kyrgyzstan has been exporting power to Kazakhstan in summer time. In winter Kyrgyzstan used to rely on its own power capacities, however this year Kyrgyzstan is facing an unprecedented shortage of power. The estimated shortage this coming winter stands at around 2 billion kilowatt-hours.