On the western foothills of the Pamir Plateau, an old water turbine that has been in service for over half a century is being revived. When China's technology and Kyrgyzstan's hydropower dream meet on the banks of the Narun River, a green transformation of the old power station has quietly become the most vivid footnote of the the Belt and Road energy cooperation.

Recently, Dongfang Electric Machinery Co., Ltd. of Dongfang Electric Group successfully completed the rotor lifting operation of the third unit in the capacity expansion and renovation project of the Uchikurgan hydropower station in Kyrgyzstan, laying a solid foundation for the installation and construction of subsequent units.

Customize, renovate and upgrade the unit

The Uchikulgan Hydropower Station is located in the Jalalabad region of southwestern Kyrgyzstan and is the country's first hydropower station. The power station originally had four 45 MW axial flow propeller units. In this upgrade and renovation, Dongfang Electric has developed and manufactured four 56 MW units of the same type for the project. The project contract was officially signed in June 2021, and the enterprise carried out customized unit research and development production based on the original operating conditions of the power station, making every effort to overcome various difficult problems in overseas renovation projects.

Overcoming difficulties and strictly controlling quality

The renovation of old power stations is different from new construction projects, as it faces challenges such as incomplete original data, mismatched equipment interfaces, and inconsistent standards from multiple parties. Dongfang Electric Corporation coordinates multiple teams to work together, implements full chain control over quality and schedule, and ensures the steady progress of the project.

In December 2024, the first Unit 4 will be connected to the grid and put into operation; In September 2025, the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan verified and confirmed that the project quality was excellent and the unit operation was stable, and sent a letter affirming Dongfang Electric's technology and performance capabilities. In October 2025, Unit 3 completed commissioning, and all four units were delivered by July 2026. This rotor hoisting confirms the comprehensive strength of Dongfang Electric's overseas power station renovation.

Empowering Green Energy to Deeply Cultivate Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan has abundant hydropower resources, and a large number of old hydropower stations in the country urgently need technological iteration and upgrading. The renovation project of Wuqikorgan Hydropower Station is a key project for revitalizing existing hydropower resources and developing green and clean energy in the local area. After the completion of the project, a comprehensive update of old equipment will be completed, greatly improving the power generation efficiency of the power station, stabilizing the transmission of clean hydropower, and effectively ensuring the energy supply security of Kyrgyzstan. Keywords: Dongfang Electric Machinery, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia Energy, the Belt and Road News Network

Dongfang Electric stated that it will continue to promote the remaining construction work of the project with high standards in the future. Relying on the advantages of China Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership, the benchmark project is taken as the fulcrum to deeply cultivate the Central Asian energy market, continue to build high-quality overseas projects, improve regional market competitiveness and brand influence, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and inject green momentum into the high-quality development of the the Belt and Road.Editor/Gong Ziwei