No more Kyrgyz electricity to Ferghana valley
According to the governmental portal Vesti.uz, Uzbek part of Fergana valley does not need Kyrgyz electricity any more. Until today, Kyrgyzstan was partially covering the electricity needs of Andijan, Fergana and Namangan. Due to the building of new high-voltage electricity line from Novo-Angrenskaya thermoelectric power station near Tashkent to Fergana valley cities, the problem seems to be solved.
As the Toktogul hydro-electric plant of Kyrgyzstan reportedly lacks water to ensure full supply of the region with electricity, many specialists have been forecasting that Ferghana valley would experience this coming winter with lack of electricity. Last year, due to the severe winter and lack of electricity, Tajikistan experienced severe hardships. There had been reports that several people had been frozen to death in the apartments, and the population had severely criticized the government for taking no actions. Considering the fact that Ferghana valley is inhabited by more than a third of the whole population of Uzbekistan (approx. 10 million) and the problematic past of the region (Andijan events), I think that creation of the $60 million value new high-voltage electricity line to Ferghana valley is a very smart move by the Uzbek government in securing the energy independence of region, which, I am sure, has an positive affect on the security of the whole country.











on August 11th, 2008 at 2:12 am
Hm… Now, when Uzbekistan does need Kyrgyz electricity any more, the Uzbek government will have a better push on their Kyrgyz colleagues, as Uzbekistan is still importing gas to Kg.