Central Asia Power Grid Strains Under Winter Demand

A report from the Eurasian Development Bank paints a precarious picture for the 2024 winter season. The infrastructure is frequently pushed to between 105 and 123 percent of its permissible load, creating bottlenecks that threaten widespread outages. While the region possesses sufficient nameplate capacity, it lacks the necessary flexibility and fuel availability to manage critical peak hours when demand surges.

Kyrgyz Energy Minister Altynbek Rysbekov recently traveled to Tashkent to coordinate with his Uzbek counterpart, Sherzod Khodjaev, in an attempt to secure supply stability. Domestically, President Sadyr Japarov has halted all new licenses for energy-intensive crypto mining. Japarov noted that while these operations offer tax benefits, the country cannot authorize them until large-scale hydroelectric projects are completed and domestic needs are reliably met.