USAID Turkmenistan

03 May 2024
Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan Home, Turkmenistan Life & Culture, Turkmenistan Business & Economy, Turkmenistan Environment

USAID Funds Improved Water Management in Turkmenistan

On 2 May the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Committee for Water Resources of Turkmenistan launched a new metering system to measure water flow on the Karakum River near Ashgabat.

Financed with a grant from USAID Central Asia’s Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity, the system offers a powerful means by which the country can sustain water availability and build climate resilience. As reported by the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan, by providing real-time data to the State Committee for Water Resources, the new system will enable a more efficient allocation of water to agriculture, households, and industry.

The World Bank has forecast that because of climate change, the volume of water flowing from tributaries of the Amu Darya River into Turkmenistan could drop by 25% in July and August, and consequently could impact supplies of drinking water and water needed to produce wheat and cotton.

Within this context, the new metering system will provide the invaluable information about flow rates and water withdrawals on the Karakum River and in turn, allow the government to advise farmers of the precise amount of water needed for crop growth.

 

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EBRD

03 May 2024
Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Life & Culture, Uzbekistan Life & Culture, Uzbekistan International Affairs

EBRD Funds Upgrade of Major Highway in Uzbekistan

On 2 May, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced the allocation of a loan of up to $238 million (€224 million) towards the renovation of around 81 km of the 4R156 road, as well as the construction of a bridge across the Amu Darya River in the Khorezm region of western Uzbekistan.

The road is a strategically important section of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridor 2a, linking the region’s administrative centre, Urgench, with the A380 road to Kazakhstan.

The loan will transform the current single-carriageway category-II road into a dual-carriageway category-I road, and in addition, help upgrade supporting infrastructure along the 4R156 road. Once completed, the new road with its much-improved throughput capacity, will stimulate both trade and tourism in  Khorezm.

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso commented: “We are supporting this project because it meets our strategic objectives for Uzbekistan and Central Asia. It is also part of the global transport and logistics infrastructure solutions covered by the European Union’s (EU) Global Gateway initiative.”

In January 2024, at the Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity in Brussels, the EBRD expressed its readiness to invest around €1.5 billion in Trans-Caspian Corridor-related infrastructure and associated transport solutions over the next 2-3 years.

 

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Kazakh Invest

03 May 2024
Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Environment, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

South Korean Сompanies to Modernize Kazakhstan’s Power Plants

At the end of April, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, KEPCO and Doosan Enerbility regarding the South Korean companies’ investment in modernizing Kazakhstan’s GRES Topar power plant and power plants in Astana, Almaty, and Pavlodar.

Kazakh Invest welcomed the Korean partners’ pledge to provide innovative environmental solutions to increase the plants’ productivity.

In support of the initiative, Kim Jung-Kwan, Senior Vice President of Doosan Enerbility, commented, “The environmental solutions of KEPCO and Doosan Enerbility are optimal for the government of Kazakhstan, which seeks to reduce the level of air pollution in the country. After signing this memorandum, we will work together to contribute to the development of environmentally friendly energy projects in Kazakhstan.”

 

 

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gov.kg

03 May 2024
Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Environment, Kyrgyzstan Environment, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan International Affairs, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

Tashkent Investment Forum Focus on Kyrgyzstan’s Kambarata HPP-1

The construction of the Kambarata hydroelectric power plant (HPP)-1 on Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn River was at the forefront at the Third Tashkent International Investment Forum attended by Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and representatives of international organizations and financial institutions.

At the panel session on energy, on 2 May, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Japarov, outlined the master plan behind Kambarata HPP-1, investment indicators,  and its potential benefits to water resources management and Central Asia’s electricity market.

Japarov explained that generated by hydropower, almost all electricity in Kyrgyzstan is green, but stated, “We have so far used only about 13% of our existing potential. Taking into account global challenges and trends in the development of green energy, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic has actively begun to implement infrastructure energy projects. The large-scale construction of Kambarata HPP-1, strategically important for the entire region, will up the pace of development in this field.”

Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan recently signed a Roadmap for joint construction of Kambarata HPP-1. If completed, Kambarata HPP-1 will have a capacity of 1860 MW and will generate 5.6 billion kWh of electricity per year.

A forum for further discussions on foreign investment in the project is scheduled for early June in Vienna .

Turning to plans for hydroelectric power plants elsewhere in the country, Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister, stated, “Work is underway to implement projects for the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Chatkal River, as well as a cascade of Kazarman hydroelectric power plants on the Naryn River. Our country needs foreign investment to develop energy, which is the main sector of the economy. We invite foreign companies to consider the possibility of participating in the construction of small and medium-sized hydroelectric power stations and renewable energy sources in Kyrgyzstan.”

 

 

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@iStock

03 May 2024
Central Asia, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Satellite Internet Connection to Start Working in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development says that work has been completed on an interface station for the OneWeb non-geostationary communication network at the Kokterek Space Services Center. Officials expect to achieve technical readiness to provide commercial services this year.

Work is also continuing on infrastructure at the Spacecraft Assembly and Test Complex in Astana. A project to build a constellation of medium-resolution satellites for remote sensing of the Earth has also been launched, with plans to replace the current KazEOSat-2. This new equipment will be used in various fields, including agriculture, emergency management and sustainable use of natural resources.

EutelSat OneWeb is a unit of the EutelSat Group that provides broadband internet access using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It was founded in 2012. At different times, Airbus, Qualcomm, Virgin Group and others have acted as investors in the company. In the spring of 2020, OneWeb filed for bankruptcy because it failed to agree with Japan’s Softbank on a round of financing totaling $2 billion. Later, the company was saved by the British government, India’s Bharti Global and EutelSat, before the latter company merged with OneWeb in September of 2023.

It has been reported that villages in Kazakhstan have gained access to satellite internet from Starlink, one of Elon Musk’s companies. Over 170 rural settlements are connected to the KazSat network, which provides broadband access to more than 17,000 people.

The initiator of the joint project, minister of digital development Bagdat Musin, was fired on April 30 amid a scandal involving the leak of personal data of Kazakh citizens.

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Image: kabar.kg

02 May 2024
Central Asia, Home, Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Features

Kyrgyzstan: Truck Hits Students Performing at Event, Injuring 29

A truck has mowed through a crowd of students during a hillside event in Kyrgyzstan, injuring 29 children in an incident that was captured on video, media reported on Thursday.

The Health Ministry said three of the injured children were in a serious condition following the incident in Suzak district, the state-run Kabar News Agency reported. The agency said there was no driver in the truck, and that there were indications that the incident was accidental. An investigation is underway.

Video shows hundreds of people, many of them spectators and others in formation holding a huge national flag scatter as the truck goes down the hill and ploughs through the crowd. In another video, people are heard screaming and shouting as the truck is seen knocking over a tent.

The students had been performing Manas, an epic poem that is integral to Kyrgyz culture, as part of a competition, according to traffic safety officials.

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