Environment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Uzbekistan and Germany Partner on Green Industrialization with €3 Million Grant

On November 13, at the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan's capital Baku, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Economy and Finance signed a memorandum with the German International Cooperation Society (GIZ) to secure additional funding for a project aimed at supporting the private sector in green industrialization. As part of the initiative, Germany has allocated €9 million to help Uzbekistan’s private sector transition to a green economy. The project is designed to assist the Uzbek government in implementing economic reforms and fostering sustainable economic development, focusing on enhancing the capacity of both the public and private sectors to adopt green industrialization practices. The initiative will also provide technical expertise in measuring and certifying greenhouse gas emissions, supporting Uzbekistan’s participation in international carbon trading mechanisms, and aligning with the European Union’s Cross-Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Additionally, it aims to promote resource-saving and sustainable production by encouraging the private sector to adopt green technologies, including circular economy practices and green industrial park models. To further bolster the project, a €3 million grant was approved during the conference. This funding will complement the ongoing initiative, titled “Support to the Private Sector and Advice on Economic Policy in Uzbekistan.”

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Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan Forge Green Energy Partnership

On November 13, on the sidelines of the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev, the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, signed an agreement for a strategic partnership in developing and transporting green energy. Calling the signing of this agreement a historic event, Aliyev said that “it opens new opportunities for cooperation between the regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus. In fact, the integration processes, the processes related to transportation, energy, and trade between the regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus, allow us to say that these two regions are acting in a synchronized manner in many areas, including in the field of green energy development.”. The Azeri president added that constructing an electric cable under the Caspian Sea could lead to broader regional collaboration. Aliyev also highlighted Azerbaijan's ongoing plans to construct a cable from Azerbaijan along the bottom of the Black Sea to Europe. “The feasibility study for this project is nearing completion, so we will connect Central Asia, the Caucasus, Europe, the Caspian, and the Black Seas with a single energy corridor,” he stated. In his speech, Tokayev said the trilateral agreement opens new opportunities for integrating the energy systems of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, as well as for creating reliable corridors to supply environmentally friendly energy to European and other markets. “Kazakhstan plays an extremely important role here as a large transit territory. The practical results of this Agreement will also contribute to developing the Middle Corridor as a ‘green bridge’ connecting our economies. Close cooperation in this key area will intensify the exchange of experience and advanced technologies between the three states and further strengthen our energy security,” Tokayev said. Mirziyoyev emphasized the environmental significance of this agreement, noting, “The energy that will be transmitted is wind and solar energy, which will help mitigate the impact on the climate. In this way, we support joint efforts to protect the climate within the framework of the Paris Agreement and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” he added. The three presidents also witnessed the signing of an Executive Program on cooperation in green energy development and transmission by the energy ministers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia.

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COP29: Environmental Initiatives in the Real World

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has addressed the World Climate Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. In his speech he spoke about the country's environmental problems, but also mentioned opportunities for new eco-friendly projects. At the same time, many world leaders did not attend the summit, and activist Greta Thunberg said climate problems should be discussed at other venues. Tokayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan's commitment to the global climate agenda and emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the fight against climate change. He reminded forum participants that carbon neutrality by 2060 can only be achieved with close cooperation and technology exchange. “Access to predictable funding and state-of-the-art technology is vital to achieving the targets. The NCQG should pay special attention to regions most vulnerable to climate change, including landlocked developing countries. Despite accounting for only 1% of global emissions, Central Asia faces multiple climate risks. To increase efficiency, we must actively utilize advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, satellite monitoring, and other digital tools to provide early warning and better management of water and land resources,” Tokayev said. Tokayev added that Kazakhstan has opportunities for transition to better agriculture. According to him, the republic, which has 200 million hectares of agricultural land, is an ideal platform for introducing “carbon farming." The president said these agricultural production methods can reduce emissions and improve soil quality. “Our country provides 43% of the world's uranium supply and plays a significant role in developing low-carbon nuclear power. In October this year, ROK citizens supported the construction of a nuclear power plant in a nationwide referendum. We strive to ensure the safety and efficiency of this project through partnership with the world's technological leaders in energy”, added Tokayev. He separately emphasized the problem of the world's water resources. “Climate change is already seriously impacting the global water cycle. Water-related disasters account for more than 80% of all natural disasters. This year, the ROK faces unprecedented floods. To respond quickly in the future and recover from such emergencies, we are implementing a comprehensive risk management system. In partnership with France, Kazakhstan will hold the One Water Summit in December to actualize the water agenda. Participants of this forum will discuss the problems of global water management,” Tokayev said. “Today, the Caspian Sea is under threat. Saving the world's largest lake is a problem that requires long-term international cooperation. We support President Ilham Aliyev's (Azerbaijan) initiative to create a group of experts from the Caspian littoral states. Additionally, Kazakhstan is taking concrete steps to preserve the Aral Sea,” he added. Also, within the framework of the World Climate Summit in Baku, an important agreement for Kazakhstan's water sector was signed. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baybazarov said the Islamic Development Bank will finance Kazakhstan's $1.1 billion project for water resources development, which will be realized in nine regions. Kazakhstan is not standing still Today, Kazakhstan has several major environmental projects in operation. These include the Astana Green Belt, which has significantly improved the city's ecology, reduced air...

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ADB to Help Kazakhstan Move Away from Coal Power Generation

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a memorandum of understanding, moving closer to the possible early retirement of a coal plant in Kazakhstan under the bank’s Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) program. Under the memorandum, the ministry and ADB will work toward a pilot transaction that will demonstrate a pathway to significantly reduce Kazakhstan’s greenhouse gas emissions by decommissioning pilot coal plants for renewables or other low-c or repurposing carbon energy technologies. A feasibility study will determine which of the country’s coal-fired power generation, combined heat and power plants and heat-only boilers could be the most viable for early retirement. ADB and Kazakhstan have also agreed to analyze the potential impact of early decommissioning or repurposing of a plant on the country’s power and heat supply, develop the country’s renewable energy generation capacity, and promote regional energy trade. ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov commented: “Keeping 1.5 degrees alive means moving away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy as quickly as possible—and ADB’s ETM program aims to do that in a way that considers each country’s energy and socioeconomic development needs. As Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, we are committed to helping Kazakhstan inclusively decarbonize its economy, and we aim to demonstrate how the clean energy transition can be accelerated in Central Asia.” Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Almassadam Satkaliyev added, “Kazakhstan will need to develop a new approach in the power, heating, and water sectors as a single technological system, and we rely on ADB’s support and experience. I hope this program will demonstrate new systems' technological shift and reliability through ETM, which can then be replicated in other plants and regions.” Kazakhstan is a major consumer of coal, with 25 billion tons of coal reserves estimated to be the eighth largest worldwide. About 70% of the country’s electricity is produced from coal, while energy-related activity, including heat and electricity production, accounts for more than 80% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Kazakhstan’s long-term strategy for achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 involves reducing its use of fossil fuels and increasing its renewable power generation capacity.

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COP29: Tajikistan Goes for Green as Pollution, Climate Change Take Toll

Tajikistan’s longtime president has said his country plans to switch entirely to renewable sources of energy by 2032, though a recent World Bank report warns that climate change is already threatening Tajikistan’s energy and water security, which are key to development. At the United Nations climate conference in Azerbaijan, President Emomali Rahmon said on Tuesday that Tajikistan’s goal was to become a “green” country by 2037, a reference to low carbon and resource efficiency goals. “Today, 98% of our electricity is produced by hydropower, and Tajikistan's share in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions is small” compared to many other countries, said Rahmon, who has been in power since 1994. “However, achieving the above goals requires a lot of effort and money from us.” He told delegates at the COP29 meeting in Baku that Tajikistan is cooperating with development partners, “especially global financial institutions.” In a report released last week, the World Bank cautioned that Tajikistan’s growth model has “reached its limits” despite robust economic development and poverty reduction in the last two decades. It said domestic institutions are weak, the private sector is underdeveloped and Tajikistan’s economic aspirations will be on hold unless it implements structural reforms. “Degraded agricultural land, along with risks of increasing water scarcity, raises major risks to the productivity of crop and livestock sectors, critical to the livelihoods of the majority of Tajiks. Air pollution is rife, with Dushanbe’s measure of particulate matter far exceeding regional averages and other cities affected,” it said. The World Bank acknowledged Tajikistan’s plan to improve infrastructure for hydropower development, clean energy, and water storage to address the challenges of climate change. But it said the effects of global warming, including glacier melting and extended droughts, could undermine development goals and drive an increase in poverty. Tajikistan’s big hope is that the Rogun hydropower plant, which has been under construction since 2007 and is partly operating, can play a transformative role in electricity generation in Tajikistan but also as a clean energy exporter to other countries in Central Asia. The project has faced delays, cost overruns and criticism from environmental and rights groups. The World Bank, one of the international backers of the project, said the success of the Rogun plant, which will have a total generation capacity of 3,780 megawatts, will depend on “enhanced governance and transparency, dedicated supervision support, and a sustainable macroeconomic framework.”

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Kazakhstan Secures Agreement for 11 Billion Cubic Meters of Water from Neighboring Countries by April 2025

Kazakhstan will receive approximately 11 billion cubic meters of irrigation water from the Syr Darya River by April 2025, following an agreement made by Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, with representatives from neighboring Central Asian countries. The accord was reached at the 87th meeting of the Interstate Coordination Water Management Commission held last week in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and attended by water ministry leaders from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with Kyrgyzstan as an observer. This substantial water supply is expected to fill the Shardara reservoir in southern Kazakhstan by April 1, 2025, providing enough water for the region's 2025 irrigation season. Given Kazakhstan’s reliance on irrigation for agriculture, particularly in the arid south, the flow from upstream countries like Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan is vital. Nurzhigitov noted, "This year, thanks to negotiations and joint actions, we ensured the effective water distribution in the Syrdarya River basin. Agreements on water and energy cooperation with Kyrgyzstan were implemented, and measures were taken to coordinate the operating mode of the Bakhri-Tojik reservoir [in Tajikistan] during this year’s irrigation season.”