Kyrgyzstan’s pilot floating solar plant at GES-5 near Bishkek/ egov.kg
Kyrgyzstan plans to build a 15 MW floating solar power plant on the reservoir at Hydropower Plant No. 5 (HPP-5), about 10 kilometers northeast of Bishkek, as the country seeks to reduce its dependence on electricity imports.
Kyrgyzstan expects to import 4.1 billion kWh of electricity in 2026, about one-fifth of its projected consumption of 19.6 billion kWh. The country relies heavily on hydropower, leaving electricity supplies vulnerable to low reservoir levels. Energy officials have warned that shortages could occur during peak demand this winter.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) describes the proposed plant as Kyrgyzstan’s first utility-scale floating solar power plant. A 100 kW pilot plant has operated on the same reservoir since March 1, 2024. The state-owned Chakan GES OJSC built it with an ADB grant.
The larger project is being developed under a cooperation agreement between Chakan GES and the ADB. The bank has proposed $20 million in financing, comprising a $19.55 million concessional loan and a $450,000 grant. The project has not yet received approval, and no construction timetable has been announced.
According to the Ministry of Energy, the pilot plant generated 141,100 kWh in 2025. The ministry says installing panels on water saves land, can reduce evaporation, and allows the project to use existing hydropower infrastructure.
The ADB expects the HPP-5 project to establish a technical and commercial model that can be used at other reservoirs. The bank estimates that those sites could host floating solar plants with a combined capacity of about 176 MW. Future projects could involve private investors.
Kyrgyzstan opened its first large-scale solar power plant in December 2025 in the Kemin district of the Chui region, about 100 kilometers east of Bishkek. The 100 MW plant was built with Chinese investment at a cost of $56 million. The Ministry of Energy estimates that the plant could generate about 210 million kWh a year.
If the proposed HPP-5 plant and all 176 MW of additional floating solar capacity were developed, they would have a combined capacity of about 191 MW. Based on the performance of the existing pilot plant and projected generation at Kemin, this could produce roughly 300 million kWh of electricity annually, equivalent to about 1.5% of Kyrgyzstan’s projected electricity consumption in 2026.
However, the much larger 1,900 MW solar project being developed by Vietnam’s ROX Energy Global near Lake Issyk-Kul could make a more substantial contribution. Its first 175 MW phase began operating in June 2026, and the Ministry of Energy estimates that the completed plant could generate around 3.3 billion kWh annually, equivalent to nearly 17% of the country’s projected 2026 electricity consumption. The remaining phases are expected to come online in 2027 and 2028.
Sergey Kwan
Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
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Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.
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