Wind Energy

Wind power development in Kyrgyzstan

The “Master Plan of Wind Power Development of the USSR till 2010”, was released in 1989. According to this wind atlas Kyrgyzstan’s wind power resources are limited to 4-5 m/s at 30 m height. However, some of these areas are adjacent to the Kazakhstan border, where wind speeds as high as 6 m/s are indicated, for example to the north of the capital city of Bishkek.

The 90 billion kWh/y technical potential, corresponding to 2500 MW installed capacity, estimated in this study seems to be derived from the vast areas available for wind energy development. A more reasonable estimate may be closer to 1500 MW.

More recently, wind data was collected from 81 stations around Kyrgyzstan. The reported annual average wind speed ranges from 0.5 m/s to 3.6 m/s. The total wind potential is estimated at 1,500 MW, which is similar to the above estimate. Further studies need to be completed to identify specific sites and quantify the wind resource in certain areas on the country.

The most promising areas for wind power potential are:
• Chuisk district (North Kyrgyzstan)
• Osh district (South Kyrgyzstan)
• Issyk-Koul district (East Kyrgyzstan)
• Djelal-Abad district (West Kyrgyzstan)

Many different locations throughout the country have significant wind potential.

Kyrgyzstan (formerly Kirghizia) is a rugged country with the Tien Shan mountain range covering approximately 95% of the whole territory. The mountaintops are perennially covered with snow and glaciers. Kyrgyzstan borders Kazakhstan on the north and northwest, Uzbekistan in the southwest, Tajikistan in the south, and China in the southeast. The republic has the same area as the state of Nebraska.

Total area: 73,861 sq mi (191,300 sq km)

Population (2010 est.): 5,508,626; (growth rate: 1.4%)

ws99.myloadspring.com/sites/renew/Shared%20Documents/2009%20Country%20Profiles/Kyrgyzstan.pdf