NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — As part of a working trip to Mangystau region on November 19, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Askar Mamin attended a capsule laying ceremony at the construction site of a methanol and olefin plant. The project is being implemented by Singapore-based WestGasOil, with an investment of $1.8 billion. The plant’s capacity will be 300 thousand tons of methanol and 600 thousand tons of olefins per year. For the construction period, 4,000 jobs will be created, and after commissioning in 2023, the company’s staff will be 650 people, the prime minister’s press service reported.

The project for the construction of the Gas-Chemical Plant to process natural gas and methanol is being implemented with the support of Kazakh Invest national investment promotion company and the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan.

The project provides for the processing of gas into methanol and the subsequent processing of methanol into olefins. The plant will be located on the territory of the SEZ Seaport Aktau, Kazakh Invest reported. According to investors, this will greatly simplify access to infrastructure and transportation of the products. The construction of production facilities is planned to be carried out within two years and, in the third year of operation, reach its design capacity.

The plant will produce methanol and olefins, which are mainly used in production of plastic, polypropylene and polyethylene.

The representatives of the Singaporean company emphasized the favorable investment climate in Kazakhstan, including state support measures and the process of supporting investment projects.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the Government and the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, as well as the national company Kazakh Invest, the representatives of local executive agencies and Development Institutions for comprehensive support in our investment project. I wish to note that in Kazakhstan, understanding has been established between representatives of government bodies and business interests. We hope for a successful implementation of the facility and further fruitful bilateral cooperation,” said Lim Ren Jie, Executive Director of WestGasOil Pte Ltd.

DUSHANBE (TCA) — Farmers, businesses and homeowners in Tajikistan will benefit from better access to climate finance thanks to the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) Tajikistan, launched by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on November 21.

The US$ 25 million facility will offer loans for investments in high-performing technologies that improve the use of water, energy and land resources in Tajikistan, in partnership with local financial institutions. Humo, a local microfinance institution, is the first partner to join the facility, with a loan of US$ 1 million for on-lending to its clients, the EBRD’s press office said.

These loans will cover investments in technologies such as drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting and storage, solar panels and energy-efficient cold-storage facilities. Beneficiaries can identify climate friendly technologies through the Technology Selector database and are supported by the GEFF Tajikistan technical assistance team.

GEFF Tajikistan is supported by the European Union (EU), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and South Korea. The EU offers approximately US$ 4 million of investment incentives to farmers and businesses so that investment in modern and efficient technologies can boost their competitiveness and bring environmental and social benefits. GEFF Tajikistan blends US$ 6.25 million of GCF concessional finance with US$ 18.75 million of EBRD finance. Over US$ 3 million of funding for technical assistance is contributed by the GCF and South Korea.

GEFF Tajikistan supports gender activities that aim to enhance women and men’s equal opportunity to access finance for green technologies.

GEFF Tajikistan builds on the successful experience of its predecessors, such as the-ECTAP facility, which increased access to finance in the agricultural sector, and CLIMADAPT, which piloted financing for climate resilience.

The EU is a strong partner of the EBRD in climate action and supports 14 GEFFs across Central Asia and beyond. To date, the GCF has been supporting EBRD programmes worth US$ 830 million, catalysing more than US$ 3.6 billion in total project value. The GCF is the largest climate fund in the world to support developing countries’ efforts to respond to the challenge of climate change.

The EBRD has invested nearly €670 million (US$ 740 million equivalent) in various sectors of Tajikistan’s economy to date. The country is highly vulnerable to climate change, with water resources, the agricultural sector, transport infrastructure and public health particularly exposed.

BISHKEK (TCA) — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated new and modern equipment to the Aman GreenFood LLC company, a Kyrgyzstani business specialized in the production of natural honey and honey-based products, the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan reported.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on November 20 visited the Technological Park of software products and information technologies in Tashkent, the president’s official website reported.

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ASHGABAT (TCA) — Opera has returned to Turkmenistan after nearly 19 years of being banned along with ballet by the Central Asian country’s first post-Soviet president as “incompatible with Turkmen mentality,” RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service reported.

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (TCA) — Over 80 experts from five Central Asian countries gathered on November 19 in Almaty to discuss how to improve and modernize irrigation practices in Central Asia. The two-day workshop, entitled Towards Regional Initiatives for Modernizing Irrigation in the 21st Century brought together regional and international irrigation practitioners, experts, policymakers, representatives of research institutions and civil society, the World Bank said.

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