October 15, 2025 The second stage of public hearings and consultations at the national level was held to discuss the draft report on the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) of the Kambarata HPP-1 project.
Consultations took place in a hybrid format (offline and online).
Below is the draft program:
Representatives of the Our Century Foundation took an active part.
Below are important comments and questions raised by representatives of the Our Century Foundation:
- Have any preliminary studies been carried out on seismic microzoning? (Recently, a representative of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic noted that there was no such study..)
- Consultants note that between 4,600 and 7,000 direct jobs will be attracted during the construction phase. But there is a risk that contractors will not involve local residents due to a lack of necessary skills. Are there fixed employment obligations and where are they reflected?
- Have downstream water users been consulted? And what were their main complaints and recommendations?
- At previous consultations, the Nash Vek Foundation made recommendations to show computer modeling of all possible risks and their consequences to society. Will there be visual videos on the consequences? For example: during an earthquake 7 points, 9 points, 12 points. What will happen to the dam and to the population of nearby areas? Is it important for society to show it visually?
- Is there a clear evacuation plan and warning systems for the downstream population? With possible risks. during construction and after?
- Any infrastructure project must have a warranty period. What is the warranty period for the item? Service life, how many years?
- Who is responsible for safety after the facility is put into operation? State, contractor or separate structure?
In general, the consultations were constructive. Everyone who wanted to speak was heard. Consultants and government representatives noted that appropriate measures will be taken based on comments and recommendations.