Central Asia is building a new energy system. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are rapidly expanding solar and wind generation and battery storage, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are expanding their hydropower capacity, and governments across the region are investing in stronger cross-border electricity connections. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are also both moving ahead with nuclear power.
These projects are usually discussed as separate parts of the region’s energy transition, but they are increasingly connected by single, critical variable: water.
Climate change is making Central Asia’s hydrology less predictable just as electricity demand is growing. Drought can constrain hydropower, extreme heat can increase power demand, irrigation systems consume large amounts of electricity, and new generation assets must be able to operate for decades under water conditions that may look very different from historical averages.
This creates a challenge, but also an opportunity. A more integrated and flexible Central Asian power system could reduce not only the cost of the energy transition, but also the region’s exposure to water shocks.
Five Energy Systems, One Regional Opportunity
