To help manage possible environmental and social risks, including potential impacts on local ecosystems, water quality, and community livelihoods, the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) requires that projects integrate environmental and social considerations into all phases of planning, construction, and operation.
The ESF also requires that governments engage and consult with stakeholders as part of formal assessments of and actions to address these risks and impacts. Hence the authorities are gathering input from the people who could be affected by Kambarata-1 HPP and from other interested parties.
The following studies and plans are being discussed with stakeholders through a series of consultations:
- Draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP).
- Livelihood Restoration and Resettlement Plan.
- Labor Management Procedures (LMP).
- Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), which includes the project's Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM).
- Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP).
The first round of consultations with local communities in the Kyrgyz Republic took place in October-November 2024. Similar consultations at the national level took place in Bishkek on November 19, 2024. Minutes can be found at https://kambarata1.org/en/events .
These consultations collected stakeholders’ initial feedback, which is informing the preparation of the environmental and social instruments that are required by the ESF. Drafts of these documents were publicly disclosed on the official Kambarata-1 HPP website of the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic: www.Kambarata1.org on September 5, 2025 for consultation, in English, Russian and Kyrgyz languages.
The second round of consultations, which took place in fall 2025, continued engagement with local and national stakeholders in the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as with stakeholders in riparian countries of Central Asia and with international representatives of civil society. The focus included environmental and social risks, potential local and regional impacts as well as mitigation measures. Input from these sessions will further inform the ESF documents, and the revised versions will be publicly disclosed.
From October 6-10, the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic conducted the second round of local consultations in five Ayil Aymaks within the project area: Atai and Kargalyk in the Toguz-Toro district along with Sary-Kamysh, Imanaliev, and Toluk in the Toktogul district. Approximately 300 participants attended these sessions.
On October 15, the second round of national consultations took place in Bishkek, with the participation of around 150 stakeholders.
Subsequently, on November 4–5, the Ministry of Energy held international consultations in Istanbul, Türkiye on the draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Kambarata-1 Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP). The consultations included official delegations from Kazakhstan (participating online), Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, more than 50 representatives of national civil society organizations from Central Asia, research institutions, expert communities, and regional and international civil society organizations joined the meeting remotely.
All the relevant notices, documents, and presentations related to these consultations can be found on the official Kambarata-1 HPP website: www.kambarata1.org