Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Minister of Energy, Altynbek Risbekov, recently stated at a parliamentary committee meeting that the Kyrgyz cabinet has confirmed the country will continue importing electricity in 2026 to compensate for persistent domestic power generation shortages.
According to Risbekov, Kyrgyzstan currently generates approximately 14.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, while total demand exceeds domestic supply by about 4.5 billion kilowatt-hours. To fill this gap, the country imported approximately 4.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2025, and officials anticipate needing to import a similar amount next year.
The Deputy Minister acknowledged that this reliance on imported electricity reflects deeper structural challenges in Kyrgyzstan's energy sector. The country remains heavily dependent on hydropower, with the Toktogul hydroelectric power plant alone supplying about 40% of the country's electricity, making power generation extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in the water levels of major reservoirs. In recent years, declining inflows and continued growth in domestic consumption have led to recurring power shortages.
Officials stated that the government's medium- to long-term strategy aims to reduce reliance on electricity imports by expanding domestic power generation capacity and diversifying energy sources. The deputy minister indicated that the government is working to attract investment in renewable energy projects, including wind and solar power, while also upgrading existing infrastructure.
The Ministry of Energy has previously stated that increasing non-hydropower generation is crucial for improving energy security and mitigating seasonal risks, especially during dry years. However, officials also cautioned that new power generation capacity takes time to become operational, making electricity imports unavoidable in the short term.
For most of the past decade, Kyrgyzstan has relied on electricity imports from neighboring countries during periods of power shortage.
Authorities stated that this situation will continue until the long-standing supply-demand imbalance in the energy sector is addressed.
