BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 18. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov plans to visit Japan, said Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan Taalaibek Ibraev during a meeting with Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kenichi Kawamura, Trend reports via the Kyrgz ministry.
The sides discussed the project for the construction of the Training Center for the National Electric Grid of Kyrgyzstan, which will serve as a strategic platform for training specialists and implementing advanced standards for power system operation.
The minister noted that the project is in the final stages of approval and expressed hope for its signing during the upcoming presidential visit to Japan. JICA is providing grant funding of 1.5 billion Japanese yen (approximately $10.3 million) for this project.
The talks also covered the modernization of the Kurpsai hydroelectric power plant (800 MW), one of Kyrgyzstan's key energy facilities. The minister reported ongoing work to replace the automation, telemechanics, and relay protection system with preliminary grant funding of 3 billion Japanese yen (about $20 million) and expressed readiness to continue cooperation with JICA on further reconstruction of Kurpsai HPP, aiming to increase its capacity by 20 percent.
The minister also called on the Japanese side to participate in the construction of the Kambar-Ata-1 hydroelectric power plant.
Ibraev emphasized that Kyrgyzstan regards JICA as a strategic partner and attaches great importance to joint initiatives in green energy and sustainable development.