According to her, there is currently an unprecedented increase in the number of electricity consumers.
Read on the topic Are school lessons in Bishkek being shortened due to electricity shortages? The city's response
“Everyone notices how quickly urban areas are developing, how many new facilities are being built. Every action we take is related to electricity consumption. The problem of electricity shortages affects not only Bishkek but the entire republic. Despite the warm October and November of 2025, we hoped that the connection of central heating would help, but the consumption level did not decrease,” Bulanova noted.
She also reminded that Kyrgyzstan once had the opportunity to export electricity, but currently, even the implementation of renewable energy sources and annual imports do not solve the problem.
“The country is experiencing a sharp increase in electricity consumption, and it is not always possible to fully meet the demand. The import of electricity is becoming necessary. The low water levels affect not only Kyrgyzstan but also neighboring countries, where prolonged outages are also being introduced,” she added.
Nevertheless, our policy is to ensure minimal electricity consumption for everyone to avoid outages.
Aigul Bulanova
The repair work was completed in the summer, and currently, there are no outages, but the energy system is still experiencing overloads during peak hours. This can cause equipment damage, overheating, and reduce its lifespan, which in turn can lead to fires. Therefore, we have been urging the population to conserve electricity for several years,” Bulanova emphasized.
Peak electricity consumption hours are from 7:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00.
In accordance with the NESK order, limits have been set on "smart" meters: for single-phase connections — up to 5 kilowatts, for three-phase — up to 10 kilowatts.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov stated that the water level in the Toktogul reservoir is 2 billion cubic meters lower compared to last year. To ensure the stability of the energy system, the country has to purchase electricity from abroad. Japarov urged citizens to conserve electricity, emphasizing that “every light bulb represents hundreds of liters of water in Toktogul and additional expenses for the budget.”