The Kambar-Ata Hydroelectric Power Plant (also known as Kambar-Ata 1 HPP) is a major hydroelectric dam under construction on the Naryn River in central Kyrgyzstan. When completed, it will be the largest facility in the Kambar-Ata cascade and one of the largest hydroelectric projects in Central Asia.
Preparatory works â including tunnel completion, road and bridge construction, buildâÂÂout of 110â¯kV and 110/6â¯kV substations, and a workersâ camp â progressed through late 2024 and into 2025, with technical and environmental studies underway. The damâÂÂs technical-economic feasibility study recommends rollerâÂÂcompacted concrete construction.
Total project cost is estimated at $3.5âÂÂ6àbillion. Kyrgyzstan has allocated over $46 million for preparatory works; additional funding includes a $18.6â¯million World Bank grant and $13.6â¯million in IDA financing. A trilateral joint venture between Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan has been signed, with a Coordination Donor Committee including the World Bank, ADB, EBRD, IDA, OPEC Fund, AIIB, and others. An intergovernmental roadmap was agreed in Januaryà2025.
The first attempt to build a dam at this site was in 1986, but construction stopped due to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
On January 6, 2023, the energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a roadmap for the project.