Kyrgyzstan lowers water discharges to Shardara

To reduce the water discharges to the Shardara reservoir, the electric power supply in North Kyrgyzstan will be reduced 20% from late February to mid-March, "Severelectro" JSC has advised KZ-today.

The quantity of the electric power supply will be reduced for consumers from Bishkek, Chu and Talas regions. These regions are fed from the Toktogul hydropower station.

Earlier it was reported that because of sharp frosts in the republic there had been a growth of the electric power consumption in Kyrgyzstan. That is why the water discharges from the Toktogul reservoir were increased to 740 cubic metres per second. It caused a threat that the Shardara reservoir would overflow and flood South Kazakhstan and Kzylorda regions. Negotiations in Bishkek with participation of Vladimir Shkolnik, minister of energy and mineral resources of RK, resulted in a protocol as per which Kyrgyzstan undertakes to reduce water discharges from its Toktogul reservoir to 650 cubic metres per second.