In 2024, about 78% of Kyrgyzstan’s electricity consumption was supplied by low-carbon hydropower. Fossil fuels supplied around 12%, including roughly 9% from coal and 1% from gas, while net imports accounted for about 10%. The figures do not identify the electricity sources behind those imports, so they cannot be classified as clean or fossil-based here. Hydropower therefore provided the dominant domestic source of clean electricity, while reducing fossil-fuel generation would help curb climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Kyrgyzstan?

The figures show that electricity consumption per person remains far below its historical peak, rather than demonstrating sustained growth. In 2024, consumption was about 1,100 kWh per person, compared with roughly 3,500 kWh in 1990—a decline of about 2,400 kWh, or nearly 70%. Low-carbon electricity generation stood at around 855 kWh per person, approximately 1,700 kWh below its 1996 record of about 2,560 kWh. These substantial shortfalls are concerning: Kyrgyzstan needs stronger growth in clean electricity to support living standards, electrification and future demand. Historical peak comparisons alone, however, do not establish the recent trend in total national consumption.

Suggestions

Kyrgyzstan can expand its clean electricity supply by strengthening hydropower while adding solar, suitable wind projects and consideration of nuclear generation. Relevant examples include Pakistan, where solar supplies about 24% of electricity generation and nuclear about 13%, and Armenia, where nuclear supplies almost 30%. These offer useful reference points for developing a more diversified low-carbon system. North Macedonia generates about 40% of its electricity from solar, while the US state of Nevada generates around 35%, illustrating solar’s potential contribution. For wind, Denmark’s nearly 60% share demonstrates what sustained investment can achieve, although local resource assessments should guide Kyrgyzstan’s projects. Grid expansion, regional connections and long-term planning would help turn these examples into practical growth.

History

Kyrgyzstan’s recorded low-carbon electricity history is a story of substantial hydropower fluctuations. During the 1990s, gains of 2.6 TWh in 1994 and 1.1 TWh in 1996 were interrupted by declines, before a 2.2 TWh rebound in 1999. The early 2000s followed a similar pattern: losses in 2001–2002 were followed by gains in 2003–2004, but generation fell by 2.6 TWh in 2008. Growth returned in 2010–2011, including a strong 3 TWh increase in 2011; subsequent declines in 2013 and 2015 preceded a 2.7 TWh recovery in 2017. More recently, annual declines continued from 2021 through 2024, culminating in a particularly steep 4.6 TWh fall in 2024. This disappointing recent trajectory reinforces the urgency of expanding and diversifying clean electricity generation.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade