Hydropower

Hydropower can become a major source of energy and support socio-economic development in the entire Aral Sea Basin. Hydropower potential in the Basin is large but remains underutilised to date. The upstream riparian states—Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—are the lead producers of hydropower in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya Basins, respectively. In order to avoid regional conflicts over the use of water for food or electricity generation, riparian countries should develop viable forms of cooperation. There are solid examples of such cooperation in the Basin already. Legal and regulatory solutions like the 1998 Syr Darya Agreement should be introduced for supporting food production in summer for the upstream countries (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) and electricity generation in the downstream countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan). Large water storage and hydropower development projects in upstream river courses where the hydropower potential is also the largest continue to emerge in the region (e.g., the Rogun Dam Project, which is currently under construction). If managed in a collaborative manner, they will bring multiple benefits to collaborating countries, including improved reliability of supply and availability of water for agriculture, domestic use and electricity generation. Small hydropower plants and other renewable sources represent another energy option that can be developed in the Basin to supplement carbon fuel-based and large hydropower facilities.